Woman of Iu Mien descent makes history in Sacramento – and possibly the nation

A first-generation Iu Mien American was the one of the first in her family to earn a college degree. Now she’s adding another first to her résumé.

Koy Saeteurn was recently named the chief of staff for Sacramento Vice Mayor Eric Guerra’s office. According to records from the office, she’s the first person of Iu Mien descent to hold this position in the city, county and state – and possibly the nation.

Saeteurn is the daughter of refugees who fled the Secret War of Laos and the fall of Saigon to the United States. The Iu Mien is a small hill tribe recruited by the CIA to help fight the Secret War. She grew up in the Central Valley with farmworker parents. She moved to Sacramento to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.

“I was raised by the community through community centers, nonprofit organizations, churches and food banks,” Saeteurn said. “Accessing resources that helped supplement my learning when my parents couldn’t help me, nourishment when we couldn’t make ends meet and guidance as we assimilated into American culture. Life has come full circle for me now that able to work on policy, projects and partnerships that will provide those resources and improvements to quality of life for a little Koy out there to help her find her path out of poverty and way to success.”

“We (the Iu Mien) are not the model minority – we don’t have the same education attainment (as other Asian groups),” she said. “I am so excited and honored that Vice Mayor Guerra has trusted me in my leadership in the community and provide me access to various policy conversations as an Iu Mien person.”

Guerra, District 6 council member, said Saeteurn has done exceptional work and is instrumental in addressing neighborhood issues such as illegal dumping, human and sex trafficking, and creating workable communities in Sacramento.

“She has a keen sense of understanding her political surroundings at a time when her city is booming and growing, and has also helped me ensure that those least among us are not left behind in our city’s growth,” Guerra said.

Saeteurn is involved in Sacramento’s Aggie Square project, as well as child care and early learning options in the city to assist families and their ability to work and improve their economic mobility.

“Immigrants are economic engines that have been left behind through the years of transition,” Saeteurn said. “Having access to leaders when they talk about revitalizing the corridors and having the lived experience in tough neighborhoods growing up, I am overwhelmed my voice is needed at the table and I look forward to advocate the communities left unheard across the Asian and Pacific Islander and all ethnicities. It is a shared experience. In a fast-growing city we cannot forget about those communities.

“I am honored to be where I am and have the ability to advocate in the spaces I am in.”

Before joining the City of Sacramento in 2015, Saeteurn worked for California Special Districts Association. She is a member of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation Leadership Sacramento 2019 class, which is raising funds for a nonprofit that provides support to homeless youths.

Saeteurn, a mentor and volunteer for youth programs at Iu-Mien Community Services, is a founding member of Advocates for Iu Mien California, a group of individuals working on the development of K-12 model curriculum to highlight the contributions of Iu Mien and Laotian refugees in California schools. She has lobbied for the passing of AB 1393 bill – a bill to add Laotian history and cultural studies to the Hmong model curriculum for kindergarten through 12th-grade. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October who wrote that a review of the existing process is necessary before moving forward with additional model curricula, but the advocacy has galvanized the community, Saeteurn said, and they will continue to stay engaged in the advocacy process to be visible.

“We were forgotten and we cannot let ourselves be forgotten again,” she said.