Shannon Deloso in “Precariously Positioned: Asian American Women Student’s Negotiating Power in Academia” told an aspiring story about her struggles in using her voice to fight for social equality. At first, it was difficult for her to place herself in a position where she would have to challenge people who were older than her and had higher authority. But I valued her integrity and courage to stand up for what she believes in. This made me realize that even people who are older and have authority over us does not mean that they are always right about everything. I admire Deloso because she knew that she had a passion for Ethnic Studies and representing the minority, but she felt that as a first generation student that her parents would not be proud that she is pursuing this career because in an economic viewpoint she wouldn't be financially stable. However, something that she mentioned that her brother said to her struck me “Our parents might have an idea about college, but have no experience of it themselves, they were not aware of all the different opportunities and majors that can lead us to success.” I can resonate with this because many students will neglect what they want to pursue and love because they believe that it will not lead them to financial success. For instance, majoring in biology to become a doctor is not the only path to become successful.
The first case that Deloso took on was at her College, an issue arose when administrators at Deloso’s College wanted to cut the funding for the College and Ethnic Studies and this would be detrimental to students' college experiences, graduation plan and to the future of faculty and students. Therefore, administrators were pulling the rug underneath these students with no fair warning. It was difficult in her position because she worked as a faculty member and she was also representing minorities. Thus, she was unsure where her loyalty lied and the boundaries that were set in place for her. When she first spoke in regards to the under cut funding for the College and Ethnic Studies she was scared and nervous that she was undermining the administrators. But each word she spoke, brought awareness and truth and she began to believe in the words as she was speaking with confidence with the support of her community. As a result, they were able to receive demands that lead to restructuring master programs, funding for Pacific Islander studies etc. She was able to break the stereotype of being silent and submissive to put herself in an uncomfortable position to fight for something that she believed in.
I wonder... how can we educate and encourage other Asian Americans to speak up and voice our opinions? and why do we often fall into imposter syndrome?
Reference:
Shannon Deloso. “Precariously Positioned: Asian American Women Students’ Negotiating
Power in Academia”
Jastillana, M. (2018, July 13). PEP - Pin@y Educational Partnerships.
Retrieved from https://www.somapilipinas.org/community-1/2018/7/13/pep-piny-educational-partnerships
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