Identity and the Way Individuals Shape Their Identities for Themselves

One’s identity has the ability to play a central role in one’s schooling experience and in return, affect the way they perceive the world around them. Growing up in an Asian household located in a predominately Asian American neighborhood located in the San Gabriel Valley, I always identified myself strongly to my race and took pride in being a first generation Asian American child. Race has definitely affected my schooling experience in many different ways, both positively and negatively. In addition, there were a variety of other aspects such as stereotypical gender roles and socioeconomic class status which factored into the way I learned in the U.S. education system. In this paper, I will examine how race, class, and gender played a big role throughout my schooling experience.

Asian-American students are often assumed to be the ones who finish on top academically. Due to the amount of high-ranking Asian-American students in schools throughout the United States, a cliché stereotype has been developed claiming all Asian students are “whiz kids.” The culture which Asian individuals practice differs by region however, majority of Asian individuals celebrate a different culture than mainstream Americans. I interviewed Susan, an Asian-American female who was born to an Asian mother, and an American father.

Asian Americans have had a 50% increase in university enrollment since 1991 and have the highest number of college graduates with bachelor’s degrees among minority groups with

How the model minority stereotype can negatively impact the overall educational experience for the Asian American students is not adequately explored at this time (Museus, 2008). Though some studies have looked at performance outcomes, such as GPA comparisons between Asian subgroups and other racial

Asian Americans are a very diverse group in the United States, which include many races such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Indian, and many more. Birth country, ancestry, and family heritage are ways to categorize this specific group. According to the 2010 Census, the Asian American population has grown faster than any other group from 2000 to 2010 (Pew Research, 2012). Asian Americans are either immigrants from Asia or are descendants of immigrants. Asian Americans have an extensive history in the United States, starting from the early 19th Century, when many people arrived to work in agriculture, construction, and low-wage jobs. Not until 60 years ago were foreign-born Asian Americans permitted to become U.S. citizens (Pew Research, 2012). The number of Asian Americans in the Unites States continues to increase, and the top six U.S. Asian groups include, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Japanese (Pew Research, 2012). How do Asian Americans in the United States identity? Do they identify as being American, Asian, or a specific ethnic group? It is interesting to see how different people identify themselves. According to Pew Research, a small percentage of Asian Americans, 14 percent, identify themselves as being American, while only 1 in 5 people describe themselves as being Asian (2012). Therefore, the rest of the population identifies themselves by their country of origin. I argue that all Asian Americans identify differently and

1.Model Minority Myth: Asian Americans have generally been typified as the model minority which refers to a perception of them being “naturally gifted, hardworking and socially passive” (Asian Americans in Higher Education 13) Their ability to perform well academically and to remain passive in the larger social scheme makes them less threatening than other minorities, especially African Americans but the model minority myth may have worked against them, especially in the field of educational attainment. It is believed that due to the model minority myth, Asian Americans are victims of “political exploitation” (Chun 1980, p.7) and in education they are denied certain services which are readily available to other minorities such as preference in higher education systems. 2: Race: The concept of race is more often than not used as a social construct and it has been historically used as a means of making laws for the minorities and for the purpose of denying them certain rights which are easily given to the majority. Social construction of race has also been used as a means of denying citizenship and marriage rights to people and in the case of Asian Americans, Critical Asian Theory is

As the appearance of Asian American students on college campuses become more prominent, the need for cultural competence and inclusiveness is higher than ever. Being aware and knowledgeable about the matters in the Asian American community can provide these students with well-equipped tools to help them succeed in higher education.

This article explains and discusses how good Asian students do in high academic levels. At the same time, refutes four different myths about Asian American academic achievements. The article has a brief introduction including some background information before focusing, explaining and discusses the four myths: Asian American has superior academic achievement; Asian-American students are born smart; Asian-American students are trouble-free kids, and Asian-American students are good at

THESIS STATEMENT: The Asian Americans have been socially constructed

The Pew report on Asian Americans is one physical manifestation of the Asian model minority myth- the belief that all Asians are educated, wealthy, assimilable, and submissive. The model minority myth which was actualized during the World War II has since evolved to be more than a stereotype. For many Asian Americans, it has become a tangible barrier, barring disadvantaged Asian Americans equal access to social programs and educational opportunities. The myth has grown to become so influential, so pervasive that it has manifested itself in the discourses on legal policies such as affirmative action and in the rhetoric of the pseudo statistical Pew report. Racism is far from being over; it has taken on new form-praise and laudation- to justify rejection of aid to underprivileged people. The Asian model minority myth has stripped Asian Americans of their diversity and homogenized them as a privileged, educated community. As a result, Asians have

Education among the Asian-American community differed by each sub-type, as they all had different views, methods, and expressions towards education. They include the following: ​

Lee begins her essay with Korean-identified students group. Korean-Identified students group “rejected a pan-ethnic identity as Asian, and worked hard to distinguish themselves from other Asian Americans at the school”. (Lee, 124) Korean immigrants show stronger ethnic solidarity than other ethnic groups, they fear to association with other Asian groups, they refuse to mix with other Asian American ethnic group because they think other Asian groups might threaten their social position. In Lee’s research, Korean-identified students often believe that if achieve “model minority”, they would overcome racism and gain acceptances by American society, meanwhile, this is a best way to help them achieve “American dream”. Korean-identified students think whites sit at the top in today America society on their subconscious.

If Asian students are regularly viewed as instant successes, there is therefore less justification for assisting those struggling in the system. The result may be "neglect, isolation, delinquency, and inadequate preparation for the labor market among those students" (Stereotypes of Asian American Students, Kim).

For most of the American Public, Asians are known to be smart and intelligent. When it comes to college admissions, it is very tough. “If you are Asian, your chances of getting into the most selective colleges and universities will almost certainly be lower than if you are white” (Chen). Asians have been discriminated against throughout the process of applying for a college. Asians generally have a unique disadvantage while putting effort towards their college applications. Michael Wang, a student from California who was rejected by six of the seven Ivy League Colleges. “I asked: what more could I have done to get into your college? Was it based on race, or what was it based on?” (Wang). It is also said that Asians who apply for a college must score 140 points higher on the SATs than white applicants to benefit themselves

Asian Americans have been considered the “model minority,” compared to other cultural groups. For instance, they are consistently regarded as high academic achievers and people that refrain from causing issues within society (McGoldrick et al., 2005, p. 272). However, Asian Americans describe and identify themselves based on where their family derived from. Also, educational attainment is encouraged among Asian Americans which are depicted among the graduation rates and postgraduate schooling they have merely been more successful compared to other ethnic groups (Pew Research Center, 2012). Asian-American parents are quite demanding toward their children of being academically successful in school. In any case, more recent foreign-born and native-born Asian Americans are pleased and agree that opportunities and success is highly probable compared to their parents at a comparable period of life.