Growing up Asian American
Speak Up, Stand Your Ground, and Amplify Your Voice
I always considered myself a shy person, and I still do. Growing up, I assumed that adults didn’t want to listen to my ideas because they would judge me or thought I was not capable of having my own ideas. Throughout my childhood I was also an introvert, social gatherings were scary and dreadful. I would be forced to do the uncomfortable task of saying hi to each and every one of my aunts and or uncles, my parents friends, and those friends’ friends. I was so shy and it was out of my comfort zone to even greet someone. Then all of a sudden, boom, middle school came. I was that nice kid, I didn’t know anyone. I was thrown into a surrounding I was never exposed to before. Luckily, I made friends and they have stayed my friends until today — I am a rising senior in high school now. But, along with making friends came those who made you feel you didn’t deserve to have friends.
There was always one classmate who made fun of me. I always chose to not speak up, because that is what I learned to do growing up. My tablemate in middle school would call me names like “T-bone” and insult me, making me feel I didn’t deserve to be recognized. I had always thought that no one would mistreat me. I thought if I didn’t speak up, they just leave me alone.
I thought that was how the world was supposed to work.
But for the first time, I was being mistreated, and I didn’t even have the guts to stand my ground and tell my classmate to leave me alone. I felt so violated and no one helped me because I didn’t speak up or tell the teacher I was being mistreated by my tablemate. Thinking back upon this memory, I sympathize with my past self but also reflect on the better choices I could have made.
Not only did I grow up quiet, but I was also afraid of being judged if I spoke up. Even today, the thought of being judged by someone still crosses my mind when I walk down the street or post on social media, but it all just stays in my subconsciousness and never really affects me drastically. Now that I am in high school and have some exposure to the real world, I know that Asians today have a stigma around them known as the “model minority”. This provides us with privileges other minorities may not receive.
As an Asian American, I feel so pressured to be perfect, receive all A’s, gain recognition at competitions, win huge awards, compete xyz tasks, go to a certain college. It’s all just this myth that is built up around us.
There are plenty of Asian Americans that work hard, but that doesn’t make other people’s work irrelevant, and no one should be excluded from societal perceptions revolving around success.
As I started to become more aware of the world around me, I started to learn to avoid other’s opinions and listen to my own thoughts. Hence, I created The Positive Note. I want it to be a place where high school students can express their opinions and bring social change through simple acts that benefit the community. This is when I truly started to grow, shaping my own opinion to lead others to do exactly the same if not better. I hope to spread The Positive Note’s mission across the world and make impactful projects that bring awareness to issues that mass media doesn’t contain. That way, as a future generation we will be more educated and more aware of our each individual privileges regarding social issues. At The Positive Note we want to encourage everyone, we include self-help tips, awareness posts, and resources for our community in hopes that it will inspire them to make an impact to their surroundings.
My own Asian American culture shapes the way I think, act, speak, and many more. At the same time, I don’t want to be like everyone else, I want to stand out and fight for what I believe. When I face failures I learn from them instead of making myself feel bad, like one of the my coaches once said “Mind over body”. If your mind thinks something your body will do something. If you think negatively of yourself you can’t ever escape that. Your perspective and mindset is the most important thing, that is what makes you different from everyone else. I hope that my organization can truly inspire others to speak up and to not be afraid to express your opinion, no matter what your race, religion, background, etc., may be. You have the right to use your voice to help yourself and help others. Speak up today!
Follow The Positive Note on Instagram @tpnproject.
