Week 6
Section A01
In On Some College Campuses, A Focus on Asian American Health, Katherine Kam discusses the importance of focusing on mental health in the Asian American community. Kam emphasized the increased depression in Asian American students stemming from the model minority myth, familial expectations, and racism. Kam also reveals that students cope with these feelings by visiting Asian American centers and finding solace in their peers. As a Filipinx-Japanese student here at UC Davis, I certainly relate to many of the issues discussed in this article. I have felt discriminated against in my predominantly white major, Political Science, and I certainly relate to the feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction that arise from these experiences. As a pre-law student, I've been told that I do not need to become a lawyer because I can just be "an Asian trophy wife," and moments like these made feel like an imposter, and feel as though I do not belong. To combat these feelings, I found a community with the Filipinx-American organizations on campus and I am instead helping to start my own organization for Pilipinx students in Business and Law. Asian American students and the Bamboo Ceiling are often overlooked in terms of their mental health, but the growing concern for the struggles that Asian American students face unquestionably marks a step in the right direction.
Works Cited
Kam, K. (2013, September 13). On Some College Campuses, A Focus On Asian American Mental Health. New America Media. Retrieved from http://newamericamedia.org/2013/09/on-some-college-campuses-a-focus-on-asian-american-mental-health.php
Seligson, Susan. (2015 February 9). Model Minority Pressures Take Mental Health Toll. Boston University. Retrieved from https://www.bu.edu/today/2015/model-minority-pressures-take-mental-health-toll/.
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