Imposter Syndrome
These self-critical tendencies are what drive growth and progress; they’re not all that terrible, but they’re definitely not doing our mental health any favors. They’re what drive self-doubt, undervaluation of our abilities, and imposter syndrome, a condition that goes hand-in-hand with being a student at an institution as prestigious at Michigan. By Renuka Murthi
No Going Back: How College Changed The Way I Watch Movies
My only complaint is that it would have been nice if someone had warned me about the dangers of accumulating knowledge: about how the more you know, the more it interferes with regular life. The fact is, after taking all those classes, I can’t for the life of me go back to the way I used to feel when watching movies. By Tian Yeung
A Tough Week in My Life in Drinks and Thoughts
Adorning the walls are photos of me and my brothers as children, pulling each other’s hair and covered in dirt. I really do miss those days. So as I get up and start breakfast, I decide to make a drink that reminds me of summer days as a child. The drink we’d have after visiting the park, sweaty and smelling like playground equipment. We’ve changed a lot since then. By Michelle Lin
B-Side: Forever On, A Foreigner
With time, I came to understand that what my father, my mother, and America wanted from me were irreconcilable. I was standing at the intersection of three lines, and I had spent all my efforts trying, on one leg, to hold my balance on that precise point. From this perspective, it is no surprise that a tap from even the lightest feather could knock me down. By Misato Ly
My Journey With Makeup (and Myself!)
During the fifth grade, I sat at a desk across from my very first crush. I don’t even remember his name now, but I do remember being so mad at my stupid Asian eyelashes for being too short, too straight, and too invisible because the girls he did talk to all had the prettiest, fluttery eyelashes while I had practically nothing. So I broke into the closet that my mom always told me was off limits to steal a tube of Estée Lauder mascara from her stash of free-with-purchase gift bags. By Audrey Ling
100 Years American
I want my fellow Asian Americans to know that the model minority myth was not something the white people gave to us for free, purely to use as a tool of oppression over other minorities. We got it by playing by their rules, doing things their way, making sacrifices to our culture, pride, history, and personal identity. By Misato Ly
Having "The Talk" with my Parents
We stand at the forefront of the next generation of change. These changes should not be limited to technological advancements or popular trends. The advent of the Black Lives Matter Movement calls for a change that is centuries overdue: social justice. As change begins at home, tackling the #AsianAmericanConversation [a conversation tackling anti-blackness rhetoric within our Asian communities] is on the shortlist of Gen Z milestones. To my fellow Asian Americans: feel free to use this as a reference to convey your own conversations with your families. The conversation starts with YOU. By Jessica YuQi Wang
The Art of Reading (for non-readers)
As a college student, I have to deal with a lot more responsibilities and stressors than I did as a twelve-year-old whose biggest struggle was figuring out how to get free clothes on Club Penguin (as a former non-member, I can affirm that the class struggle on that site was real). I also know that I’m not alone in feeling this way—most of my friends don’t read very much either. It’s gotten to the point where we’ve dubbed ourselves “non-readers.” By Renuka Murthi
From a Place of Compassion
A Letter to Myself: You’ve spent the better half of the past year condemning yourself for every little thing, but has that created any real improvement? No. So let’s try something different. As cliché as it sounds, I’m here to tell you to be a little kinder to yourself. Instead of constant criticism, try to come from a place of compassion. by Katie Xie