What are you?” In Pre-K, a group of girls came up to me and asked, “What are you?” I was bewildered. Until that moment, I viewed myself as a normal 4-year-old. However, in their eyes, my ethnicity made me different. I was Annette, but they saw me as the Asian-American girl. From that moment forward, I would be viewed differently from my peers, leading me to become ostracized and bullied, causing me to trap myself behind a wall of fear. One would expect that Miami, with its minority majority population, would foster an environment supportive of all people— that the community here would understand the impact of racism and discrimination. Instead, I learned that, in their efforts to hold a position of power, Latinx people, the leading minority in Miami, would participate in the oppression of other marginalized groups. So, as a member of a small Asian community, I sank to the bottom of the food chain. My response became to meet others’ expectations; solely focusing on school, I lacked a defining personality or interest, and instead conformed to the Asian stereotype. I enrolled in a high school with a 90% Hispanic population, one that mirrors the community that shaped me. Here, too, I did not know where my place was. I grew up resigned, believing this to be the norm. However, something soon changed. I found a group of open-minded individuals, and I began to break down my walls. For the first time, I wasn’t othered by my peers. I was embraced for being me. This new experience led me to become proud of who I am. Rather than ignoring racist remarks, as I once did, I began to stand up for myself. Now, when someone asks about my culture, I no longer hide; I answer them because that’s the only way to educate people. I began to shape my own path, without allowing others’ remarks to affect me; I forged my voice and presence within the school community. As I continue my journey of honing my voice, I will be attending Duke Kunshan University- a partnership university between Duke University and Wuhan University. I plan on continuing my education as I believe power comes with knowledge and education--- one must continue educating themselves in order to further expand their perspective in society. During my time at Duke Kunshan University, I plan on majoring in Global Health in order to become a professor in the future. I want to one day help educate the new generations as my own experience and knowledge can help expand their own. I want to help future changemakers to hone their own voice and find power through their words because change only happens with action. In Lewis Carroll’s beloved novel Alice in Wonderland, the protagonist asks herself “Who in the world am I?” Ah, that's the great puzzle.” Like Alice, I have embraced the fact that, just like a puzzle, there are many pieces to me that I am still discovering. People expected the bullying I experienced to crack a hole in my identity and motivation; however, it improved me as a person. Through my role as a future professor, I want the future generation to be proud of their ancestry and identity. So what am I? No. Who am I? I am Annette Chu, tenacious, driven and a proud product of my Asian ancestry. That’s who I am.

“What are you?” In Pre-K, a group of girls came up to me and asked, “What are you?” I was bewildered. Until that moment, I viewed myself as a normal 4-year-old. However, in their eyes, my ethnicity made me different. I was Annette, but they saw me as the Asian-American girl. From that moment forward, I would be viewed differently from my peers, leading me to become ostracized and bullied, causing me to trap myself behind a wall of fear. One would expect that Miami, with its minority majority population, would foster an environment supportive of all people— that the community here would understand the impact of racism and discrimination. Instead, I learned that, in their efforts to hold a position of power, Latinx people, the leading minority in Miami, would participate in the oppression of other marginalized groups. So, as a member of a small Asian community, I sank to the bottom of the food chain. My response became to meet others’ expectations; solely focusing on school, I lacked a defining personality or interest, and instead conformed to the Asian stereotype. I enrolled in a high school with a 90% Hispanic population, one that mirrors the community that shaped me. Here, too, I did not know where my place was. I grew up resigned, believing this to be the norm. However, something soon changed. I found a group of open-minded individuals, and I began to break down my walls. For the first time, I wasn’t othered by my peers. I was embraced for being me. This new experience led me to become proud of who I am. Rather than ignoring racist remarks, as I once did, I began to stand up for myself. Now, when someone asks about my culture, I no longer hide; I answer them because that’s the only way to educate people. I began to shape my own path, without allowing others’ remarks to affect me; I forged my voice and presence within the school community. On my journey to hone my voice, I joined the newspaper staff. By Sophomore year, I became the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, a position I still hold today. With this new platform, I have written articles to speak out against racism and discrimination towards Asian-Americans from different forms of media and government. One of my more recent articles titled, “Coronavirus, Not The “Chinese Virus,” speaks out against the racism towards Asians growing rampant in our community; in it, I even shared my own story. This took a lot of strength within me, but I have learned that change can only happen when people speak out. As an emerging leader, I took the opportunity to run for multiple club officer positions; this year, I became the Secretary of my school’s Interact chapter and the President of the Math Honor Society. I am continuously challenging myself to explore the different opportunities and benefits my school provides. In these positions of leadership, I hope to offer a voice to those who are struggling through a similar experience as mine, since I understand personally what it’s like to be disempowered. I strive to be the support pillar for those in need. In Lewis Carroll’s beloved novel Alice in Wonderland, the protagonist asks herself “Who in the world am I?” Ah, that's the great puzzle.” Like Alice, I have embraced the fact that, just like a puzzle, there are many pieces to me that I am still discovering. People expected the bullying I experienced to crack a hole in my identity and motivation; however, it improved me as a person. So what am I? No. Who am I? I am Annette Chu, tenacious, driven and a proud product of my Asian ancestry. That’s who I am.

“What are you?” In Pre-K, a group of girls came up to me and asked, “What are you?” I was bewildered. Until that moment, I viewed myself as a normal 4-year-old. However, in their eyes, my ethnicity made me different. I was Annette, but they saw me as the Asian-American girl. From that moment forward, I would be viewed differently from my peers, leading me to become ostracized and bullied, causing me to trap myself behind a wall of fear. One would expect that Miami, with its minority majority population, would foster an environment supportive of all people— that the community here would understand the impact of racism and discrimination. Instead, I learned that, in their efforts to hold a position of power, Latinx people, the leading minority in Miami, would participate in the oppression of other marginalized groups. So, as a member of a small Asian community, I sank to the bottom of the food chain. My response became to meet others’ expectations; solely focusing on school, I lacked a defining personality or interest, and instead conformed to the Asian stereotype. I enrolled in a high school with a 90% Hispanic population, one that mirrors the community that shaped me. Here, too, I did not know where my place was. I grew up resigned, believing this to be the norm. However, something soon changed. I found a group of open-minded individuals, and I began to break down my walls. For the first time, I wasn’t othered by my peers. I was embraced for being me. This new experience led me to become proud of who I am. Rather than ignoring racist remarks, as I once did, I began to stand up for myself. Now, when someone asks about my culture, I no longer hide; I answer them because that’s the only way to educate people. I began to shape my own path, without allowing others’ remarks to affect me; I forged my voice and presence within the school community. On my journey to hone my voice, I joined the newspaper staff. By Sophomore year, I became the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, a position I still hold today. With this new platform, I have written articles to speak out against racism and discrimination towards Asian-Americans from different forms of media and government. One of my more recent articles titled, “Coronavirus, Not The “Chinese Virus,” speaks out against the racism towards Asians growing rampant in our community; in it, I even shared my own story. This took a lot of strength within me, but I have learned that change can only happen when people speak out. As an emerging leader, I took the opportunity to run for multiple club officer positions; this year, I became the Secretary of my school’s Interact chapter and the President of the Math Honor Society. I am continuously challenging myself to explore the different opportunities and benefits my school provides. In these positions of leadership, I hope to offer a voice to those who are struggling through a similar experience as mine, since I understand personally what it’s like to be disempowered. I strive to be the support pillar for those in need. In Lewis Carroll’s beloved novel Alice in Wonderland, the protagonist asks herself “Who in the world am I?” Ah, that's the great puzzle.” Like Alice, I have embraced the fact that, just like a puzzle, there are many pieces to me that I am still discovering. People expected the bullying I experienced to crack a hole in my identity and motivation; however, it improved me as a person. So what am I? No. Who am I? I am Annette Chu, tenacious, driven and a proud product of my Asian ancestry. That’s who I am.

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.” —Maya Angelou Immigrating to this country in 2001, my mother has been the rock in my life over the past 18 years. As a single mother raising three kids, working full-time as a nurse, and a part-time graduate student, my mother is a prime example of hard-work and dedication. With the sacrifices my mother made by immigrating to the United States, I want to take advantage of the opportunities that awaits me. The motivation and dedication I learned drives me to pursue a higher education in Global Health in one day enter the field of research. The goal to be financially stable in the future to one day support my mother to pay back everything she has done for me, and create a future for myself like the way my mother did for herself and her children.

My future is seen with education being important, but my view on my future also includes attending university debt free. Coming from a single parent household, with my mother raising three kids on her own, working full-time as a nurse, and attending graduate school part-time, I want to prevent a huge financial burden on my family. Because I want to attend medical school, I want to obtain a higher education with little to no crushing debt, as I know I will take out loans for medical school. This scholarship will help me attend university without the stress over finances. The scholarship will also assist in the university I pick as I will choose the institution that will fulfill my desire of being free of student debt. With Duke Kunshan University being the school I am planning on attending, the more scholarships I can accumulate, the closer I can get to hopefully choosing Duke Kunshan in the future. Understanding my mother’s hard-work, it is really important to me that I can become more independent financially while achieving my dreams, and this scholarship will help me fill that importance. I joined the newspaper staff. By Sophomore year, I became the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, a position I still hold today. With this new platform, I have written articles to speak out against racism and discrimination towards Asian-Americans from different forms of media and government. One of my more recent articles titled, “Coronavirus, Not The “Chinese Virus,” speaks out against the racism towards Asians growing rampant in our community; in it, I even shared my own story. This took a lot of strength within me, but I have learned that change can only happen when people speak out. As an emerging leader, I took the opportunity to run for multiple club officer positions; this year, I became the Secretary of my school’s Interact chapter and the President of the Math Honor Society. I am continuously challenging myself to explore the different opportunities and benefits my school provides. In these positions of leadership, I hope to offer a voice to those who are struggling through a similar experience as mine, since I understand personally what it’s like to be disempowered. I strive to be the support pillar for those in need.

What are you?” In Pre-K, a group of girls came up to me and asked, “What are you?” I was bewildered. Until that moment, I viewed myself as a normal 4-year-old. However, in their eyes, my ethnicity made me different-- they saw me as the Asian-American girl. Since then, I would be viewed differently, leading me to become ostracized and bullied, causing me to trap myself behind a wall of fear. My response became to meet others’ expectations; solely focusing on school, I lacked a defining personality, and instead conformed to the Asian stereotype. I enrolled in a high school with a 90% Hispanic population. Here, too, I did not know my place. I grew up resigned, believing this to be the norm. However, something changed. I met open-minded individuals, and I began to break down my walls. For the first time, I wasn’t othered by my peers. This new experience led me to become proud of who I am. Rather than ignoring racist remarks, as I once did, I spoke up. Now, when someone asks about my culture, I no longer hide; I respond because that’s the only way to educate people. Without allowing others’ remarks to affect me, I forged my voice and presence within the school community. On my journey to hone my voice, I joined the newspaper staff. By Sophomore year, I became the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, a position I still hold today. With this new platform, I’ve written articles to speak out against racism and discrimination towards Asian-Americans from different forms of media and government. One of my more recent articles titled, “Coronavirus, Not The “Chinese Virus,” speaks out against the racism towards Asians growing rampant in our community; in it, I even shared my own story. This took a lot of strength within me, but I have learned that change can only happen when people speak out. As an emerging leader, I took the opportunity to run for multiple club officer positions; this year, I became the Secretary of my school’s Interact chapter and the President of the Math Honor Society. I am continuously challenging myself to explore the different opportunities and benefits my school provides. In these positions of leadership, I hope to offer a voice to those who are struggling through a similar experience as mine, since I understand what it’s like to be disempowered. I strive to be the support pillar for those in need. In Lewis Carroll’s beloved novel Alice in Wonderland, the protagonist asks herself “Who in the world am I?” Ah, that's the great puzzle.” Like Alice, I have embraced the fact that, just like a puzzle, there are many pieces to me that I am still discovering. People expected the bullying I experienced to crack a hole in my identity and motivation; however, it improved me as a person. So what am I? No. Who am I? I am Annette Chu, tenacious, driven and a proud product of my Asian ancestry. That’s who I am.

My future is seen with education being important, but my view on my future also includes attending university debt free. Coming from a single parent household, with my mother raising three kids on her own, working full-time as a nurse, and attending graduate school part-time, I want to prevent a huge financial burden on my family. Because I want to attend medical school, I want to obtain a higher education with little to no crushing debt, as I know I will take out loans for medical school. This scholarship will help me attend university without the stress over finances. The scholarship will also assist in the university I pick as I will choose the institution that will fulfill my desire of being free of student debt. With Duke Kunshan University being the school I am planning on attending, the more scholarships I can accumulate, the closer I can get to hopefully choosing Duke Kunshanin the future. Understanding my mother’s hard-work, it is really important to me that I can become more independent financially while achieving my dreams, and this scholarship will help me fill that importance.

My future is seen with education being important, but my view on my future also includes attending university debt free. Coming from a single parent household, with my mother raising three kids on her own, working full-time as a nurse, and attending graduate school part-time, I want to prevent a huge financial burden on my family. Because I want to attend medical school, I want to obtain a higher education with little to no crushing debt, as I know I will take out loans for medical school. This scholarship will help me attend university without the stress over finances. The scholarship will also assist in the university I pick as I will choose the institution that will fulfill my desire of being free of student debt. With Duke Kunshan University being the school I am planning on attending, the more scholarships I can accumulate, the closer I can get to hopefully choosing Duke Kunshanin the future. Understanding my mother’s hard-work, it is really important to me that I can become more independent financially while achieving my dreams, and this scholarship will help me fill that importance.

"To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."- Hillary Clinton During my freshman year of highschool, a classmate told me “I thought you were competition, but clearly you’re not.” Based on my ethnicity, he assumed I was a genius on Einstein level. After that encounter, I began to doubt my intelligence, and forced myself to study through stress, hunger, and exhaustion, feeling the need to prove my intelligence to others. Those words turned me into a puppet, controlled by others’ expectations. As time passed, I noticed I wasn’t happy or proud of myself despite the accomplishments I achieved. I neglected my own personal wants, which led me to realize that obsessing over someone else's opinion prevented me from forming a clear path to goals, as my vision was clouded by the fear of others’ perception of me. As I began walking on my original path, I gained the confidence to join class discussions without the fear of judgment over my opinions; I no longer feared speaking out for what I believe in because my opinions are representative of who I am. Gaining this insight allowed me to see my dream goal of becoming a researcher in the public health field, as I now understand, I am the sole person responsible for blazing my path forward in life despite the opinions of others.