I was incredibly fortunate that my parents did not pressure me to pursue any major or occupation, like premed. Instead, in college, I was able to study only subjects that interested me without any preoccupation of how it would translate into a job or economic stability (parents, I know this sounds stress-inducing, but I promise that it will be worth it).  I had already taken many classes across disciplines as well as pre-med courses just in case I decided to become a doctor. But none of these courses provided any clarity about what I wanted to do. I decided to go through the course catalogue and pick out courses that genuinely sounded interesting to me, not ones that fulfilled premed requirements or translated into a steady job.  Some questions that I had while I was going through the cour se catalogue was, "Who am I as an Asian American, and what does that mean? Why did my education take a certain shape, while there are radically alternative forms of education?" As I kept taking courses that interested me, they created more questions, which created deeper interest, which led to more courses. In this cycle, I started to automatically fulfill requirements for a History major, and two minors in Asian American studies and Education Policy studies by the time that I was a junior. The best part about this was that every single class that I took was meaningful to me and I chose it because I wanted to learn about it. I was not stressed out about fulfilling course requirements before I graduated, as it happened naturally, or taking extra classes outside of my interest, which requires a lot of effort to invest in.

How has pursuing your own interests in college 

Deborah, age 4

- an idea that might be intimidating to many of us -  affected your experience as an Asian American?

Growing up, I was fairl y shy in the classroom; I barely rose my hand and spoke up. It was intimidating to reach out to teachers. School only felt like a never-ending series of hoops to jump through that didn't engage my mind. I also lacked community because there were very few Asian Americans while I was growing up.  As I started to take courses on Asian American studies, I found the ideas and words to deconstruct my experiences growing up in the Midwest, which greatly differs from the Asian American experience on either coast.  Learning became fun and speaking up was no longer daunting, as I could use my personal experiences to understand complex ideas and critical social theories. I started reaching out to a community of other Asian American students, which led to leading a campus organization for two years as a co-president. I developed skills in leadership and public speaking, and an even greater passion to serve the Asian American community. I was also able to develop relationships with professors who provided mentorship, support, and even opportunities to work with them on independe nt studies.

Can you share any advice for high school students as they look towards college?

I share my story to contrast predominant ideas of young Asian Americans feeling like they need to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, or business men and women, to contribute to society. While these professions are highly regarded and provide economic stability, there are so many areas in society that are lacking and in need of an Asian American presence and voice, like music, art, and food which creates culture and expression of our identities. There are several issues in society heavily impacting our community, like immigration and education, that need Asian American social workers, policymakers, and non-profit managers to represent our needs while creating solutions. I would encourage high school students to explore broadly as they cultivate their interests.  Today, many of my peers have jobs that do not engage their passion or interests and, as a result, they're losing investment in their work. Instead, if the opportunity is provided for a person to tap into their interests, they're able to utilize and develop their natural gifts, and create a happy and fulfilling life that contributes to our society in multifaceted ways. As the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way (even for a job), but the interest needs to spark and develop before it becomes a will.