I have always wrestled with the question of what my culture means to me. Honestly, I still have no idea. I use to constantly feel torn between two worlds: American and Asian. I identify as both, but I find it difficult to be both in a country like America. All through elementary and middle school, all I wanted was to blend in with the other kids. I honestly believed I was white until at least fourth grade because I thought race was purely based on skin color. No one likes being the odd one out, so I was determined to find some white friends and fit in. I knew I looked different, but I refused to acknowledge it. Then, in high school, I met my current boyfriend who is a Taiwanese exchange student. He introduced me to the Asian crowd. This made me very uncomfortable at first because I knew nothing of Asian culture... but I am Asian. Over time I learned more and more about Asian traditions and manners, but I still felt judged for having grown up only knowing American culture. It often feels like I'm too Asian to be American but too American to be Asian. I am an outsider no matter who I am around, and it seems like the only people who understand are other Asian adoptees. So if I had to tell you right now my answer to what AAPI culture means to me, I would say it is how I balance and incorporate these two identities together to make one culture that represents who I am. I learned recently that I don't have to live two separate lives. I can just be myself, both American and Asian, and embrace my unique background. If people don't understand, I'll explain it to them. That's what makes multiculturalism and cultural diversity so interesting. No one should have to conform to a cookie-cutter mold of what is and what is not a certain culture. In my college community, I have loved joining many student organizations promoting campus cultural diversity. I enjoy telling my story, listening to other people's backgrounds, and educating people on topics that need more light. During my freshman year, I joined the executive board of the Association for Underrepresented Awareness at my school. We host many events about under-discussed topics relating to healthcare and encouraged any students interested in medical careers to come. I found this incredibly important work because it is crucial to understand the injustices and inequality within your field. I am going to go into healthcare one day and advocate for an end to many of the systemic issues that plague the industry. My hope is that this club will help encourage my generation to be the change in medicine and patient care. I also joined the Adoption Recognition Community and Asian Student Union which offers a friendly space for underrepresented groups to come together and be vocal about their backgrounds while educating the rest of the college community. These experiences during my first year of college have opened my eyes to the world around me, taught me how to be a leader, and stand up for what's right. My generation consists of the future leaders of this world. It is our duty to do better than previous generations and be more informed.

Genetics has always been a field that piqued my interest. Genetics are the blueprints of all living organisms, so it could be a game-changer for explaining and understanding biological processes. My favorite scientific discovery is genome engineering and CRISPR because of its groundbreaking ability to edit the genome. CRISPR is extremely precise compared to other genome editing techniques as it can change DNA to turn off deleterious genes or repair mutations. CRISPR could potentially be used to treat genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia and cancer, but this will not only revolutionize human medicine. Gene editing technology is being used to experiment on plants to make them more drought resistant which would prevent famine. There is no limit to what genome editing can do to improve humanity and the world we live in. However, it is not without risk. I want to eventually go into genetics counseling which would be greatly impacted by scientific discoveries relating to CRISPR. My hope is that I would be able to help advocate for ethical gene editing as this new technology becomes more powerful. A lot of research still needs to be done, so I hope we don't jump the gun on this new genetic discovery and make a mistake that could lead to outcomes such as antibiotic resistance or other mutations that cannot be controlled. Additionally, there are lots of ethical debates surrounding topics like designer babies. I believe CRISPR is defiantly worth the risk because it has so much potential for good as long as we proceed with caution.