Tag / racism
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Affirmative Action Is Obsolete
Affirmative action, as practiced in America’s most reputable universities, has outlived its utility. It emerged in U.S. social policy with John F. Kennedy’s 1961 executive order declaring that affirmative action would help ensure federal job applicants “are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”…
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#DefendDiversity
Michael Wang was the perfect applicant. After conquering thirteen AP classes, he had a stellar 4.67 GPA and graduated second in his class of 1,002 students. His ACT score was a flawless 36. He attended and placed in various national competitions in math, debate, and music. He even sang at Barack Obama’s inauguration. Michael was…
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Year Of Empowerment
Every morning during my elementary school days, my dad woke up extra early to pack my lunch. He knew I loved the classic Chinese dish of tomato and egg stir-fry, so the whirr of the kitchen exhaust fans coming from downstairs was like music to my ears. He was always gone for work by the…
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(Con)Tested Identity
Before I even got to the main portion of the SAT, a question stressed me out. “What is your race/ethnicity?” jumped out at me, taunting me with the simplistic responses underneath. Filling out “white” would feel like denying my heritage, claiming that my dad’s side of the family was irrelevant to who I am, but…
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Bring Back The Trains
I had the New York City subway map memorized by the time I was four years old. I remember how I loved the spaghetti-like interconnections that the brightly colored lines made and how I would pore over my dad’s collections of old maps for hours and hours. I remember riding with my mom to the…
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Moving Forward And Looking Back
I’m finally ready to say goodbye to the memory of my former self. I thought you were perfect. I thought you had everything. I thought you were me. In reality, I had fabricated an intricate web of lies to fool myself into thinking that I could and would become a doctor. You’re probably thinking, “Another…
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Past In Present
Staying informed can be a daunting task. Even with the unlimited sources provided by the internet, keeping tabs on all the world’s happenings seems not only impossible but emotionally draining. It is no secret that through this constant barrage of news and information, things tend to slip through the cracks; tragedies, decisions, and statements may…
