Welcome to America

Today in my South East Asian Ladies in Tech Slack, I asked the group if there were blogs they enjoyed reading that was geared towards tech workers that didn’t grow up in America, or moved here at a very young age. I was used to reading blog posts on Medium and on people’s personal sites, and while I enjoyed them, I found them difficult to relate to. I wanted to read about different upbringings. And I also wanted to read about things similar to my own life: Where are the stories of not knowing how to speak English, of the crippling guilt with how privileged you are compared to your parents? Stories of missing your childhood friends, of gushing over native food? I wanted a place for all of that. So in the spirit of rapid prototyping, I made this publication and quickly pitched it to the others:

Shipped* is about the narrative of first-generation and immigrant Americans in tech, with a focus on those who come from less privileged backgrounds.

For many of us, it’s difficult to find a genuine sense of belonging within the current homogenous culture of tech — a culture of privilege and intellectual elitism — whose primary members are young, educated white men. It’s an industry where workplaces entertain employees with beanbag seats, artisanal coconut water, craft beer, and ping pong. Although we can also benefit from and enjoy the lifestyle, we often can’t completely identify with the typical upbringing and perspective of many of our peers. It leads to a longing to find people with the same experiences, which is what Shipped aims to address.

We understand the jolt of moving across the world, the culture shock, the sacrifice it takes, the struggles of assimilating to an English speaking country, the weight of filial piety. We get how exciting it is to hear someone speak your first language, how comforting it is to eat food from your childhood. We get the mental toll that family obligations and cultural expectations can cause. We’ve seen the sacrifices that our parents have made. And we have that looming fear of losing our roots and heritage.

We don’t necessarily share the same specific languages, food, or traditions. But we can all remember the feeling of culture shock, the nostalgia for home, the desire to be proud of our roots.

Our stories and perspectives deserve to be heard, shared, and remembered.