Pros And Cons Of Being Asian

I was fortunate to be born in the United States and it has afforded me many privileges that have allowed me to achieve success. My mother immigrated to the United States from Taiwan when she was young, and hadn’t she done so I would not have the same opportunities that I do now. Being asian but having the appearance of someone who is caucasian I have never had to experience discrimination and all that comes from it. I had the privilege of a free public education and the ability to pursue higher education as well. Where I was born was a dangerous area of California and my father’s gang involvement forced our family to flee the area fearing for our lives. My family ended up settling in a nice suburban area on the central coast of California. …show more content…
The circumstance although not serving as a role model, served as a model of what I did want for myself. It provided me with impetus to work hard in hopes of escaping that life one day. My brother served as a great source of motivation. He and I experienced the same things growing up and chose different paths. I am attending university and he is currently incarcerated. While I used our circumstance as motivation, he had fallen victim to the life we came from. Watching him growing up I knew that I could not stumble, because I could see the consequences of that through him. I could see the results of his decisions and the life he chose to live and used that to motivate me when I felt like giving up. Those experiences have shaped me greatly, my hobbies, style of dress, the way I speak, and much more. I have a great appreciation for the outdoors as it allowed me an escape when I was younger. I dress in long sleeves and pants because abuse has left me afraid to expose my skin. I dress nice because I want to present myself well despite where I come from. I was once afraid to speak and as a result am very quiet and reserved, and I lack a sense of patience from the ignorance I experienced growing up which results in me being very