I recently spoke on a panel of seniors to potential Mathematics and Computer Science majors to give advice on how we knew Math was the right major and how to distribute classes once you’ve decided. We began by describing our experience declaring the major. To preface, I was the only Asian American on this panel, but I was not the only woman nor was I the only person of color in the room. I happened to be the last to speak so I said, “I had a very different experience…
For my digital learning module, I’d like to unpack how spoken word – digitally transmitted throughout the Asian-American world – can be utilized as a form of revisionist education that de-centers white narratives. Furthermore, I’ll examine how digital poetics – here as a video of my spoken word performance and later in my final project as a digital collage of hyperlink poems – exists as a powerful representation of Asian-American identity. The contemporary movement of spoken word is rooted in a protest tradition; specifically, I trace it back to the Black…
I used to bring to high school lunch a plastic container filled with rice and some slices of sai ua, an aromatic, spicy sausage from Northern Thailand. My mom often got entire rolls of it shipped to us through her sister in Los Angeles. These sausages came directly from Thailand, a 12,000-mile journey that normally ended in my stomach. The unboxing ceremony during lunchtime was never quite eventful whenever I brought sandwiches or pasta but whenever I opened my plastic container filled with rice andsai ua, I knew I’d be…
Over my winter break, as I perused Hulu for something to watch, I came across The Mindy Project. I had heard good things bout the show yet previously hesitated because I wasn’t a big fan of The Office or other show like it. I quickly binged every available episode until sadly I reached the final one with the promise of new episodes beginning on Valentine’s Day. For those who don’t watch the show (though you should really give it a try) it centers on Mindy Kaling’s character, Mindy Lahiri, a…
after “black art” by Amiri Baraka english is bullshit/ unless tongued/ by a boat child/ come from the womb of some/ napalm land set ablaze/ he later calls a continent/ decolonization is bullshit/ unless there are no more rusty land mines/ to blow up the boat child’s cousin/ on the other side/ of the pacific/ i want a community of/ fuck your model minority/ type chinks/ i want a community of/ drown tom cruise in the village pond/ type samurai/ i want a community of/ anarchist math professors/ refugees holding…
I attended a conference this past weekend for Asian American students attending schools in the East Coast. I had no idea what to expect since this was the first conference I’ve ever attended. While there, I attended a workshop on reclaiming adoptee narratives. As we gathered in a circle to share our experiences as Asian American adoptees I realized it was the first time in my life I had been in such a gathering. As we opened up and listened to each other’s experiences, I was startled how similar some…
Last weekend, our class journeyed to Raleigh for a conference hosted by the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) focusing on Asian American identity. One thing that stood out to me was simply how happy most people were to be surrounded almost solely by Asian Americans. It is an observation that doesn’t seem to leave much discussion. But if you are a ___ American and if you have ever walked into a room full of ___ nationals, what do you recall feeling? Was it as comfortable as with people…
The 2017 East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) conference took place at NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina. Being only 2 hours away from Davidson made it an easy choice for our group to attend. I especially wanted to try to network with people and organizations from different campuses to learn how various groups spread news and information among various social channels. It’s always a great chance to get to meet more people. There were different panels at each slot of time, each of them offering their own experience.…
This past weekend members of ACAA and I attended ECAASU 2017 in Raleigh, North Carolina. To say the least, it was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by Asians, Asian-Americans, and scholarly figures that shared my experiences concerning culture, race, and growing up as an immigrant in the United States. What I want to focus on, however, is the phenomena of self-discovery. I discovered that I am what is known as the “1.5 Generation.” It is the demographic of children that immigrated to a new country between the ages of…
My most vivid memories as a child are the summers I spent in my grandmother’s house in Xinzhou, China. She spent those days making sure her grandsons – all of my paternal cousins are male – were happy, and more importantly, full. Every immigrant child thinks their grandmother makes the best food in the world, and every immigrant child is right. I only ever remember my grandmother being joyous. Her tears and her anger are wholly unfamiliar to me. However, at a certain age, I began to hear stories of…