Born in Xayaboury, Laos, Mai Xiong faced persecution as part of the Hmong community post-Vietnam War. Hiding in the Laotian jungle, her family fled to Thailand when she was three months old, enduring a 20-day barefoot journey. Mai's family, often isolated due to her crying, navigated at night to avoid detection. After 8 years in multiple Thai refugee camps, they were sponsored to the United States in 1989. Currently residing in Chico, CA, Mai creates art inspired by hope, life, refuge, and cultural and historical appreciation, drawing from narrative art and photojournalism. A film/digital photography and art studio student, she plans to pursue further studies after completing her Associate of Science in Photography at Butte College.