It's Our Time: Final Blog Post

Hello Everyone. First I would like to say thank you for joining me on this crazy journey! I appreciate all the support and positivity that's come my way over the past few months. I am posting my powerpoint presentation as well and I know it may seem very fragmented, but if you come to my presentation (shameless self plug) I promise it will all make sense. Again thank you everyone!


https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HSfcBBtAVBcuPodXufeQgTcv_6UR_sXpqeBMOWW2c2g/edit#slide=id.p4

Crazier Than You: Damaging Asian Stereotypes

Hello world! This week I finished up my internship and it was amazing! I knew that I wouldn't miss it at all because that is where I will be spending the next four years of my life. I'm so grateful to have found my home through this internship. So this week has been about doing the social analysis and formulating possible solutions for my research questions. Stereotypes permeate every aspect of our lives and especially in casting Asian Americans. But the stereotype that is causing the most harm is the "model minority" stereotype. Many Asians do come to America to find a better life and many of those people are highly educated and push their children to also be highly educated. But many Asians who come to America live near or below the poverty line. They do not fit into the "model minority" stereotype even thought they want their children to be successful. Even the people who do fit into the "model minority" mold do not want to characterized as one dimensional, academically driven robots who care about nothing else. I love the arts and so do many other Asians but we are not afforded that opportunity because of this stereotype and because we were never exposed to it. 

Pictures from my New York trip!

Along with my previous post, I just wanted to include some of these fun pictures from my trip!

Wonder Of Wonders: New York Adventures

Hello everyone! I took my spring break last week to travel to New York and see Fiddler On The Roof, Disaster, and most importantly for my project HAMILTON! It was quite a whirlwind of a trip and I spent the majority of my time walking around the theatre district and Times Square as I marveled at the light up marquees and munched on wonderful New York goodies (seriously I will never forget the pizza as long as I live). The day after I touched down in New York, my mother and I went to see Fiddler On The Roof and Hamilton, both in the same day. What is special about Fiddler is that it is musical theatre mother's milk. The music and lyrics touch such an emotional core it's impossible to get it out of your head for at least a week. It was my mother's first time seeing the show live so it was incredibly moving to see her react to the musical that spurred my love for musical theatre. Fiddler is as relevant today as it was 50+ years ago. People are still being expelled from their homes because of who they are, what they practice, or what their circumstances maybe. With so many people becoming refugees in our world and being turned away by the countries that should be protecting them, it is important to be telling their story in a way that reaches audiences who otherwise would pay no attention to this issue.

Next up was Hamilton. Simply seeing those doors and that marquee proudly displaying the Hamilton poster filled me with immense joy and excitement. When I stepped into the theatre and saw that stage for the first time, I started crying. I couldn't even believe that I was actually just moments away from seeing the show that defines all of my research. From the opening beat to the gentle final chord that fizzled out like a candle being gently snuffed, I was completely hooked. Once I left the show and finally recovered from the emotional rollercoaster I had just completed, it began to dawn on me why this show defined my research. I identified with every single person on that stage: Black, White, Asian, Hispanic. Race did not define anyone on that stage. They were actual people with hopes and dreams and fears and regrets and that could not have made me happier.