Tyrone Chen, Period 6, 2/3/23

 Tyrone Chen, Period 6, 2/2/23

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

Since the college application process, there have been a lot of instances that I have thought about the issue of inequity. In the competitive world of college applications, I’ve always wondered why the US has this specific style of college application process. Compared to the horror tales I’ve heard about China’s and Korea’s application, this process seems relatively tame. Instead of the hours you have to spend studying for one test that may decide your future, a student has the freedom to choose and essentially “customize” their application. This leads to the issue of inequity. With only top universities offering full financial aid, the students of low income would dream of going there as their family cannot afford the costs of tuition. But the problem lies within getting in. Being of a low income family, their opportunities are limited resulting in a much harder time being accepted showing a form of inequality. Another form of inequality is with the middle class facing the dilemma of not being “poor enough” to qualify for full aid but not well off enough to have the ability to pay tuition. This system has many parts of inequality that should be addressed but has not been. This is just one part of America that needs attention and there are many more in this society. Though it is present, there are few people striving for change in this system whether it be educational or political. There are many different POV included in the problem of inquiry as well as those in a position of an advantage that would not want change. I think the only way to change inequality is by compromising and finding a solution that everyone can agree on even if it is a hard task to agree on. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Growing up in a Chinese family, I was often surrounded by remarks from my parents about “foreigners”. As a young child, I was often influenced by these remarks believing them without doubting them. As such, I was often led to believe false information. Things such as “intermixing” is bad or how I should be careful around anyone not Chinese shaped my young life. It was only through my own experiences that I was able to escape these beliefs and shape my own opinion about these topics. From camp I was forced to interact with people that were not Chinese and I realized that my parents were wrong. I had to learn to grow out of my old beliefs and adapt to new ones. Reflecting now, I realized that it really is your experiences and upbringing that affects your perception of others. My parents grew up in a xenophobic small village surrounded by Chinese people leading to their own beliefs, while I had the opportunity to grow up in the melting pot that is America allowing me to create my own. I’ve come to learn from my experiences that I am a very accepting person due to my upbringing. With a thought to never judge a book by its cover, I strive to become and continue becoming an accepting person in the future. I will not be prejudiced before I personally experience whatever happens and from then I will form my own opinions.