Racism in the classroom by Hannah

Racism in the classroom by Hannah - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

As I sit here writing this essay, I think about what is going to make me seem unique. Truthfully, I’m not quite sure what that is yet, but I do pity the college admissions screeners who read thousands of essays trying to determine who is fit for their campus based off of an essay that a person writes about themselves. How many college bound students can say they wrote about being the pitiful social misfits in their personal statements? I do not want to be another cliché. What is going to make me unique enough for someone to take a second look at my applications?
In some ways, I’m the person one might assume contributes to campus diversity. I’m of mixed races, an athlete, socially involved, and an academic scholar. I am the spitting image of those people found in a college brochure wearing name brand clothes. But none of that makes me unique, so what is it that makes me different?
Simply put, I am a stereotype. I’m Filipino, Japanese, and Black. I’m not the normal type of mixed races. When people hear what I am mixed with their first question is, “Who’s Asian? Your mom or your dad?” I respond saying, “My mom.” At that moment I can already hear the words, Your mom married a Black man? in my head. When people find out my race, the stereotypes begin. I am stereotyped when I am seen driving because some people truly believe that Asians can’t drive correctly, which is insanely false. I am stereotyped because of my hair. My hair, naturally dark brown and curly, is always referred to as “black people hair” or “nappy.” Yes, my hair is nappy, but that does not have anything to do with my ethnicity. People also assume that because my eyes are small; I can’t see. I can’t see because I have bad vision, not because I was born with “chinky” eyes. The stereotypes aren’t what bother me though. It’s the idea that people think a person who comes from a certain background have the same fixed traits as other people who come from the same background. In all honesty, stereotypes do not have any negative effect on me. In fact, they motivate me. I wouldn’t want to prove to people that I am exactly like the stereotypes that people have made up. I would want to prove to people that I am the opposite of their stereotypes. I would want to prove that although their stereotypes are demeaning, my life still goes on. I like to believe that although people stereotype, it is up to us as individuals to bypass the stereotypes and use them to our advantage. Being stereotyped separates us from other individuals that aren’t like us. I plan to thrive and I plan to do that despite of what people think I can and can’t do.