Reflective Essay On 826 NYC

As a first-generation Asian-American college student and the first in my family to move onto higher education, my chances of academic success were improbable.

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.

Chapter 2: Chapter two, Robbins explains the impact of Asian culture and expectations on Asian American students, especially where education is concerned. She also

Asians are one of fastest growing minority groups in America today. During this century, various factors at home and abroad have caused people from Asia to immigrate to the United States for better or for worse. Due to these factors, Americans and American teachers, in particular, need to educate themselves and become aware of the Asian American students’ needs in terms of success and happiness. Before beginning my research, I felt I had an easy subject: studying Asian Americans in relation to their education in public schools. How simple! Everyone knows they are smart, hard working, driven to succeed in spite of their nerdish, geeky, non-athletic, broken-English stereotype. Of course they are

However, the incessant hovering and excessive involvement from Asian parents can add tremendous pressure and stress onto young Asians. In the Daily Collegian News, Penn State sophomore Trevor Hsu expresses, “It puts pressure on Asian [students] themselves to fit that stereotype…they can feel that they let themselves [and their families] down because they have not achieved the level of excellence that the stereotype has set.” (qtd. in Dailey). Because they feel guilty and shameful, many Asian students are reluctant to admit to their parents and teachers that they have difficulties with class works and assignments as much as their non-Asian classmates and consequently, they do not received the support they need to improve their performance.

Conversely, some believe that Latino apathy toward education, rather than institutional racism, is what impedes academic success. It is their work ethic and lack of familial support that disengages students from the learning process. If Latino students would stop being lazy and commit to their studies and if parents would get involved and show some interest in their children’s education, instead of blaming poor performance on teacher bias, then success would

Hispanic and Asian immigrant try to take advantage of this opportunity, these young immigrants are given the chance for a free education. The traditions and customs in the different households create an act of behavior for school. “Parental demands, fear of failure, competition and pride are fueling Asia's academic ascension” (Breitenstein para.7). This signifies that Asians are giving high pressure to do well in school which creates a base for the stereotype that Asians are above intelligent than other common races. Hispanics are not seen as highly academic compared to other races. These Hispanic immigrants are grown amongst the responsibility of taking care of their families. Work is the only route in order to create a source of money towards the payment of house needs and wants. Education is seen as optional rather than mandatory in this culture. “Students did not fail; schools failed students” (Acuna para.1). Through education, Hispanics are not seen as potential candidates for academic success. Hispanics are educated in order to fit the standard stereotype of being of a lower class and only having the ability of labor work. Stereotypes of Hispanics and Asians create the idea of how society interprets these two cultures which can create dramatic affects in race

My high school years were not spectacular, nor were they terribly productive.I left high school without learning how to proficiently write an essay. However, CUNY's Borough of Manhattan Community College afforded me a desperately needed second chance. It was at BMCC that I sharpened many of the skills I should have mastered in high school. I was able to greatly improve my writing ability. I began college as a student who found writing a 2 page paper to be a terrifyingly daunting task, but due to practice and numerous resources offered by CUNY, I soon was able to compose papers consisting of 10-14 pages with confidence and efficiency.

To some people this is not be viewed as a stereotype due to the fact it is not instantly perceived as “negative”; for those readers who delve in deeper, this stereotype outlines the educational daily hidden pressure of people from Chinese descent whom do not fit this “positive” stereotype. Every day, especially in American society, classmates look to their Asian counterparts to provide the answers to questions they do not know in every subject they take. Nonetheless, this ridiculous assumption hurts the Asian students that do not feel comfortable with their intellectual abilities. Placing Asian students as the “model student” excludes the students who actually have problems and need help that other classmates are reluctant to give the students simply because their classmates do not view helping their struggling Asian classmates as an actual necessity. By “poking” fun and bringing into light both Asian stereotypes, Yang enforces view that stereotypes are in use today.

As the immigrant population currently projected to overtake latinxs and hispanics as largest group of residents in the United States of America, Asian Americans have shown their will to survive in a way that many groups have not, and that is by banding together in order to achieve the life they deserve. Taking the overgeneralization of pan-ethnicity and using it as a device for increased numbers and support for the causes of a group of people who otherwise may not have much to do with each other, is a testament to how vulnerable they must have felt as well as how successful they have managed to be many aspects of progress. What I have gained from this course is the understanding that at the root of ethnic studies and the Asian American community is the “for us, by us” sentiment that contributed to the blurred lines between the different part of their communities as social, political and cultural, structures, collectives and groups which came out of an obligation and necessity to protect those immigrants and their future generations from a country which has always pushed European superiority in all aspects of society.

The United States of America is known for being a country filled with people of many different ethnic backgrounds. Likewise, the student population in schools is just as diverse as it continues to grow. Lynch (2015) notes that schools are expected to teach their students “how to synthesize cultural differences into their knowledge base” as this will help “facilitate students’ personal and professional success in a diverse world” (para. 8). Educators must be able to provide for the diverse needs of students and are expected to equip students with skills that can lead to healthy development as it can affect higher levels of student achievement and students have more opportunities of success in their future. Providing students with tools and skills requires an awareness and acceptance of their ethnic identity. Once students have developed self-acceptance about their ethnic identity, they can begin to feel empowered and motivated to do well. Through cultural empowerment, students of color can develop intrinsic motivation and achieve academic success.

Going to college in the United States may be extremely difficult and stressful for ethnic students. These students have to learn and speak English in order to understand their professors and assignments. Paukert, Pettit, Perez, and Walker (2006) examined how ethnic college students

In this ethnography account, Harlklau explores the relationship between school tracking and educational opportunities. Published by the University of Rochester, Harklau addresses the issue of school tracking by following the educational experiences of recent immigrant students. The purpose of this study was to see how students adapted to the dynamics of American high school classrooms. Conversely, he also studies how the school structures both the educational and academic experiences of immigrant students. Consequently, the results of the study demonstrate the consequences of school tracking incoming students. For instance, the study not only vividly depicts the ongoing effort of immigrant students in dealing with low American tracking classrooms,

Last week, Garrett and I submitted our application to be reviewed for USEED fundraising. Our first step is to meet with Paul Racz, a USEED leader, for a 1 hour interview in order for our organization and fundraising campaign to be approved. This meeting will be happening this Thursday, Sept. 22 from 1:15pm - 2:00pm.

New York City. One of the greatest states. And full of tourist! Whenever tourists come to New York City, there is a checklist of place to see and visit. There is the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building, Central Park, and, of course, Time Square. Time Square is the center of everything touristy. It is full of shopping, food, lights, and Broadway plays. Almost anyone who comes to visits always goes there. Take it from a girl who use to be a tourist herself. Whenever I was visiting New York City, my family and I would never miss Time Square. We would always make our way there and especially at night when the lights are shining. Time Square really is the enhances New York’s Motto as the city that never sleeps. However, Time Square did not start out as the center of tourism. It has a whole history behind it and how it became the attraction it became!