Breaking Stereotypes: Personal Journey of an Asian Student

“Laura’s the most stupid Asian I know,” said a fellow classmate. I was in class and our teacher assigned us worksheets and that’s when I overheard a group of boys discussing who to get answers from and they mentioned my name, but after that comment, they laughed about it and then I had no more interest in hearing about their ignorant conversation. Unfortunately for me, it’s not the first time I’ve heard people make fun of me like that. People say similar remarks like that all the time and I act as if it doesn’t affect me, but that’s only a coverup. So ever since then, I’ve tried my best to prove everyone wrong. Due to stereotypes and society’s perception of Asians, I’ll always be compared to others standards.

In “I Have a Dream” Martin Luther

However, I was always seen as average at best. I never went above and beyond in school and I clearly wasn’t the top of my class with perfect grades and 4.0 GPA. I was embarrassed for the classes I took because like I said before, I was always seen average at best. Math was surprisingly difficult for me and so was Chemistry and Physics. None of those classes were honors or AP and that’s where I felt like I fell short because a lot of the Asians I knew were already so far ahead. I was nothing special or unique, I was less than ordinary and I stuck out like a sore thumb. Akimi Yan wrote, “How do US teachers’ stereotypes of Asian students affect performance?” which she discusses how Asians are perceived in the school system. She says, “If the standards are so high, there must be some Asian students who could not live up to the expectations...results into their negative self perception.” (n.p) I definitely understand what Yan is talking about because I’m one of those Asian students who don’t live up to other’s expectations. I’m always comparing myself to others especially Asian students and my sister who is a talented Dentist. I use to feel ashamed for who I was, but more importantly, I felt ashamed for my family. I never wanted them to think they raised someone who was a disappointment. Coming from someone who constantly felt like they weren’t good enough, it has made me want to prove

Ever since I was a kid, my parents use to and still tell me to focus on school because that’s the most important thing in my life. So I tried and tried, but no subject ever came easily to me. I struggled in school and maybe that’s the reason why it’s still difficult for me today. Asians are supposedly smart and good at every subject, especially math; however, that’s not who I am. Qin Zhang published “Perceptions of Asian American Students: Stereotypes and Effects” in Communication Currents that explains the outcomes of Asian stereotypes on students and how they’re shown in the media. Zhang mentions, “The model minority stereotype could also have psychological, emotional...enduring loneliness...extreme depression and stress” (n.p.). The pressure of being Asian has caused me to feel lonely. Whenever I wanted to hang out with my friends, I never got the chance to because I always felt a little bit behind than others in my grade. The feeling of stress on my shoulders due to the pressure is unexplainable, but when I don’t do well on a test, I tell myself that it's necessary that I do better next time or I won’t go far in life. All I attempt to do is to disregard people’s speculations about me, but it can take a toll on my performance to the point where I don’t know my own