Growing up under the influence of my culture, I was constantly pressured to mold myself to be the "perfect" student and daughter, but my inability to conform to these standards often resulted in punishment. Although I wanted to satisfy my family's expectations, I rejected those standards to express myself. At the time, I did not realize it was a cultural norm until I moved to Little Saigon, or the area of congregated Vietnamese people. It appeared that all of my peers had similar goals and aspirations: get straight A's, attend a prestigious university, graduate and become a biologist or medical specialist. It made me feel like I was a doll in a manufacturing facility; Like my peers, every doll is the same as the other, and the defected ones
