to the program. How will your background enhance and broaden your learning and that of your classmates in Schulich’s dynamic environment?
I am an Asian-American woman living and working in the global city of New York. Growing up in an international city allowed me to become a multicultural individual and develop into a young woman different from my counterparts in Asia and here in the United States as well. I was taught by my parents not only the values of a Chinese culture but also to strive to enhance my strengths and to go forth and establish a successful career in business while always relating back to my Chinese roots. These values of diligence, perseverance and selflessness influence my everyday work and personal life.
During my
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These experiences, and many others, have contributed to my values, beliefs and interests, and played a significant role in shaping my personality. I look forward to drawing on these experiences and contributing unique insights to Schulich's multicultural community. [pic]
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I am an industrious and ambitious person who is not afraid to challenge the status quo. For example, while doing research at [deleted] University, Canada, I discovered anomalies in a famous turbulence model, proposed a solution and used computer simulations to prove the validity of my model. At times, I felt that I was swimming against the tide; however, I took up the challenge and established my opinion (which became the dissertation for my M.Sc. (Engineering)). My ability to devise innovative solutions will, I believe, help to stimulate Schulich's challenging learning environment. Further, my experience of conducting research in an academic environment has endowed me with analytical and research skills to help me tackle complex business problems at Schulich from a different viewpoint.
In addition to my experience in an academic environment, I have a great deal of diverse practical
I grew up in a multicultural household, my father came from Peru and my mother came from Colombia. Both of my parents are proud of their respective countries and heritage. They both embrace each other’s cultures by celebrating traditions and preparing food native to both countries. Having open-minded parents has taught me to experiment with new foods, music, and hobbies without judgment. I have been surrounded by so many
I am the product of a military upbringing, which allowed me to live in different parts of the world. This allowed me and my family to explore what other cultures are like as well as realize that Americans and our way of life is not the only culture that exists on the entire planet. I realized that the negative perceptions that other Americans had of people of German and Asian descent was directly related to lack of exposure and an unwillingness to educate ourselves about other cultures.
Many new arrivals still struggle to survive and often Chinese Americans still encounter suspicion and hostility. Chinese Americans have achieved great success and now, like so many others, they are stitching together a new American identity. As Michelle Ling, a young Chinese American, tells Bill Moyers in Program 3, “I get to compose my life one piece at a time, however I feel like it. Not to say that it’s not difficult and that there isn’t challenge all the time, but more than material wealth, you get to choose what you are, who you are.” (www.pbs.org)
I was born in Taiwan, when I was eleven years old, my family have immigrated to a small town in Eastern Kentucky. Moving from a mostly homogeneous society to a heterogeneous society was quite a change for our family, it has also open my eyes to culture conflicts. Growing up, I’ve define my race as Asian, and my ethnicity as Taiwanese-American, at home my parents speak mainly Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese, and we ate mostly Taiwanese food at home, however I have been socialized and adapted into the American culture in school, and with my peers. Consequently, as I grow older, I’ve identify myself with both culture and heritages. I have made an effort to not forget my native languages and my native culture values, instead, I’ve try my best to make the best out of both cultures.
According to Maya Angelou, Amy tan, Chia-Fang (Sandy) Hsu, Janell Hobson, Yong Chen, Felicia F. Thomas, and Fuchs Lawrence, culture is what brings a community together as one. In “Champions of the World,” “Fish Cheeks,” “Acculturation and communication Traits: A Study of Cross-cultural Adaptation among Chinese in America,” “Between History and Fantasy: Harriet Tubman in the Artistic and Popular Imaginary,” “Recreating the Chinese American Home through Cookbook Writing,” “African American and Socialization,” and “Immigration, Multiculturalism, and American history”. All the authors mention and talk about how important is to know once culture. For generation culture has been what makes America so unique among
Whilst if I was in China, I would be focused on education, and preparing for my future job, and then focusing on how I am going to live the rest of my life. In relation, when I was younger, I was taken to a private preschool and Kindergarten, in hopes that I am able to build a stronger foundation for when I enter the first grade. As I grew older, and first grade came near, my family moved from one city to another to enroll me in a better elementary school. From this, part of my educational background grew. Throughout the years, we would fly to China to visit family and I was then exposed to the different cultures and was able to compare the living standards and cultural aspects between the United States and China. Consequently, my mom’s side is Tai-Shan and my dad’s side is Shanghainese. On my mom’s side, I have ancestors from Guangzhou, Tai-Shan, Beijing, and Hong Kong. On my dad’s side, I have ancestors from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong as well. I know that these cities are all within China and have rigorous living conditions, intense education systems, and a place where money is everything. From this, I can say that this does influence my identity, as I am exposed to these cultures and ideas quite often. Being Chinese, and the first generation to be here in the United States, my parents are still quite traditional. Through that, the idea of who I am is influenced and altered, because there are ideas that I
The focus of our group project is on Chinese Americans. We studied various aspects of their lives and the preservation of their culture in America. The Chinese American population is continually growing. In fact, in 1990, they were the largest group of Asians in the United States (Min 58). But living in America and adjusting to a new way of life is not easy. Many Chinese Americans have faced and continue to face much conflict between their Chinese and American identities. But many times, as they adapt to this new life, they are also able to preserve their Chinese culture and identity through various ways. We studied these things through the viewing of a movie called Joy Luck Club,
My name is Richard Hu: I am 30 years old and I am Asian American. This means that I am both Asian, and American. According to Park (2005), the latest census proclaimed that Asian Americans cover more than 4.1% of the population. In its totality that is 11.3 million people. Much like Park (2005) states, “we are not a new phenomenon: Asians have been apart of the U.S landscape from as early as the 17th century … the irony is that we remain “strangers from a distant shore””(p. My parents were born in Korea but relocated in order to give our family more opportunity to excel. I, like many others in my heritage consider myself to be a 1st generation immigrant. However, growing up in the suburbs of Hillsborough California I began to lose my sense of self. It wasn’t until I was much older that I began to identify with my Asian Culture. I whole heartedly feel that Park (2005) said it best when she argued that “Our perceived “foreign-ness” accentuates our “two–worldness”... not Asian enough to repatriate, not “American” enough to integrate” (p. 4). Although it still isn’t an easy concept for people to grasp, over the years I have learned to be more understanding of my Asian American upbringing (Question 1).
I lived in Hong Kong for three years, was a US ambassador in Cyprus this past summer, and have traveled to eight different countries. These experiences have allowed me to appreciate and work well with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. In Cyprus I lived with two different families that had two different cultures, Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot. This experience allowed me to truly see the beauty of cultural differences, and the benefit of learning multicultural viewpoints. I was learning about environmental issues, but I learned about it from two different perspectives. Being able to learn from other viewpoints and perspectives were extremely beneficial to me. In addition, I can share my experiences to benefit those around me. I’ve presented to several classes about the importance of cultural diversity and the need to have cross cultural collaboration to solve global issues. Many of the global issues that can be solved start with local changes. I have started programs to help local orphanages, battered women’s shelters, and nursing homes. Although I started all of the programs, they would not have been possible without the collaboration done by friends, neighbors, teachers, and community members. If I were in the Forty Acres Scholars Program I’d use my experiences of multiculturalism and service to work with other scholars
Some similar anecdotes that I can contribute to “The Chinese in All of Us” are similar experiences that I went through and having friends and acquaintance going through the same process of becoming the melting pot of
New York City is renowned for its diverse cultural makeup, exemplified by the various ethnic neighborhoods scattered within its interior. As a result, it has consistently been deemed America’s immigrant capital. Similarly, I grew up in a country with over 50 different ethnicities, each with a unique culture and set of customs. I attended a Muslim elementary school and a majority Christian high school, all while growing up in a Hindu neighborhood. Between friends and family I celebrated Christmas, Eid and Diwali. I took my experiences from navigating different Arab, Indian and African cultures and used them to further broaden my horizons while living in the U.S. By traveling and living various parts of the world, I have developed life skills
With my dad being Caucasian, and my mom Chinese, I was fortunate enough to experience two completely different cultures at a young age. Even though I reside in California, where diversity is a natural occurrence, I still believed that some people sought to place counterfeit stereotypes on ethnic groups. Many of the stereotypes placed on Chinese people has to do with the fact that we are strict, especially parents. In spite of that impression, I wasn’t raised with strict parents. They both wanted me to choose my own path in life, and explore my different interests. However, a lot of my classmates, who are of asian descent, were not given the same kind of opportunities that I had. For an English presentation that we had to do about the meaning
When I was young, my dad’s job was transferred. My whole family moved from a small town in central New York to the giant city of Hong Kong. My childhood was extremely multicultural since Hong Kong is the melting pot of asia. My favorite foods quickly became Indian, Thai, and Chinese. I didn’t have mac and cheese until I was seven. I had friends from England, Malaysia, Thailand and China. I went to a preschool that was taught half in Mandarin and half in English. Needless to say my childhood was anything but ordinary, but I am better for it.
It took me years before I was able to fit in to this society completely; however, unlike other young first generation immigrants, I still held on to my Chinese background. I spoke Chinese at home and stayed in contact with families and friends from China. I was like any other Chinese teenagers. I listened to Chinese music, read Chinese books, and watched Chinese movies. I also enjoyed eating home cooked Chinese dishes. I was also like any other American teenagers. I listened to western music, read English books, and watched American movies. At school, I ate hamburgers and fries and at restaurants, I ordered pastas and
When I traveled to Italy with my school, I was paired with two other Asian roommates. We spent late nights in strange hotel rooms talking about growing up as first generation Asian Americans, our different cultures, and even our weird Asian traditions. We had conversations about our families, and laughed together about our favorite Asian supermarket together. I was thrilled, finally to speak to others like me about our shared heritage. Throughout the year I looked back and pondered the conversations we had. I realized that I was no longer