“You really don’t look Asian, maybe your parents should have given you a Hispanic name,” “are you sure you are Chinese? To me you look more Filipino,” “It’s so weird seeing you pursuing a career that’s not in the science field since you are Asian.” These are just some examples of the things that have been said to me by different people since I moved to the United States. These microaggressions used to affect the way I looked at myself. I realized that when we are kids, we don't spend a lot of time wondering who we are. As we grow, however, that wonder of identity becomes a huge part of our journey. Part of the human experience is self-discovery; most of us believe we have a purpose or at least a duty to ourselves to discover who we really are. However, we fail to realize how important it is for us to validate our experiences and history, and not diminish ourselves to fit society’s expectations of who we should be and how we should identify ourselves. 

              Throughout the years, I have come to realize that self-discovery is a matter of oneself. It is common for human beings to worry about the opinions of others. Even when people say they don't care about anyone else’s opinion, there is some sense of acknowledgment of someone else’s perception about who we are. We tend to constantly live between boxes. Society loves to put labels on all of us, and then judge us for trying to put ourselves in the parameters they created. Said parameters were created without considering the complexity and diversity of humanity. Human beings are not as simple as people might think. We are the product of hundreds and thousands of years of history, and we don't all share one universal experience. Society keeps implementing these labels and stereotypes that are supposed to identify us. Nevertheless, in some cases, I find them harmful to our journey to self-discovery. The moment we think we fit in one label or stereotype, society can turn on us and tell us that we really don't. These labels are used to differentiate between race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and more. We become obsessed with trying to fit into one of these boxes that will grant us acceptance of who we are.

               However, my own experience has taught me that the entire myth of discovering oneself comes from self-acknowledgment. For example, as a kid, I never questioned the way society would eventually come to label me. I am of Asian descent; my father is Chinese while my mother is Venezuelan. I grew up between these two cultures and never questioned if I was more one thing than the other. My name tends to confuse people; if my nationality is Venezuelan, then why don't I have a Hispanic name? I even had a high school teacher tell me that when she first saw my name on her student roll, she was expecting “a little Chinese boy.” I used to feel like an impostor whenever I thought of myself as Asian or at least partly Asian. I used to trap myself in a box that did not let me celebrate part of who I am because I feared society would think it was appropriating a culture that isn't mine. But, in the last couple of years, I have learned to not erase my history, my complexity, and my experiences just to fit into someone else’s perspective of who I am. For me, self-acknowledgment means looking into oneself and finding those things we cherish about our own experiences. I don’t care if someone thinks I am not Asian enough to celebrate Chinese traditions, or if they think I am not Asian enough to carry my name. Only I know myself entirely and can fully comprehend how I celebrate my own diversity. I do not need to fit into the labels society has created for everyone, especially when these labels tend to come with limitations and requirements that ignore the fact that we are all individuals. Only I can acknowledge whom I am first, without letting others’ perceptions of myself influence my identity. 

            It’s hard to escape stereotypes; when the rest of the world sees you one way, you can not help but wonder if maybe they are right. For example, the idea that minorities can’t grow up to hold positions of power, succeed in their professional lives, and can just end up being a product of a system that constantly works against them is still a stereotype we see every day in this country. However, most minorities, especially youth, work towards destigmatizing these stereotypes. Just look at the world around us and the new generation of leaders. These people work towards breaking preconceived notions, diversifying a world that for so long placed a label on their backs, limiting their potential by undermining their talents and voices.

            We forget we can be more than one thing at the same time. Trying to fit into one label can restrain us from exploring our diversity beyond what we think we are. If we are looking to identify ourselves, we have to start by acknowledging our own life experiences and the infinite components that make up our identity. Only then should we consider what others think we are based on social norms. Today, I am able to celebrate my identity without worrying about feeling like an impostor. I feel Venezuelan as well as Chinese and I will not let anyone strip me from one culture just to fit the stereotype of the other. We should not have to box ourselves into these labels and stereotypes, reducing ourselves to one idea just to fit someone else’s expectations of whom we are supposed to be.

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