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Isara Ritthaworn
I am studying Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I was born in the United States and was raised as a Buddhist. My parents were both born and raised in Thailand. Growing up in Rockville, Maryland I have never really noticed any misrepresentation of Asian Americans that would have affected me. I would always hear Asian stereotypes being tossed around among my peers, but in all honesty, every race or group in general can always have something to be joked about. Throughout my entire life I have never felt like I did not belong anywhere. This may be due to the fact that Montgomery County has a pretty high population of Asians to begin with. I do find myself having mostly only Asian friends though. I don't think that I intended for my circle of friends to be exclusively Asian, but it just ended up that way. Maybe because our common interests subconsciously brought us together? Maybe because our common interests stemmed from being Asian Americans? Now in my college years I think the Asian American group is splitting into even smaller demographics. When people think of Asians, they think of eastern Asia to be honest. Since my origins are in Thailand, a culture that is very different from eastern Asian cultures, I would love to help out my own southeast Asian community to be given a better representation in the minds of modern Americans.
I am studying Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I was born in the United States and was raised as a Buddhist. My parents were both born and raised in Thailand. Growing up in Rockville, Maryland I have never really noticed any misrepresentation of Asian Americans that would have affected me. I would always hear Asian stereotypes being tossed around among my peers, but in all honesty, every race or group in general can always have something to be joked about. Throughout my entire life I have never felt like I did not belong anywhere. This may be due to the fact that Montgomery County has a pretty high population of Asians to begin with. I do find myself having mostly only Asian friends though. I don't think that I intended for my circle of friends to be exclusively Asian, but it just ended up that way. Maybe because our common interests subconsciously brought us together? Maybe because our common interests stemmed from being Asian Americans? Now in my college years I think the Asian American group is splitting into even smaller demographics. When people think of Asians, they think of eastern Asia to be honest. Since my origins are in Thailand, a culture that is very different from eastern Asian cultures, I would love to help out my own southeast Asian community to be given a better representation in the minds of modern Americans.