The word legacy is one that is often associated with wealthy, grand families with large assets and numerous accomplishments. In many of the Asian dramas I grew up watching with my parents, the oldest son of rich business owners is pressured to take over the job after his father retires, regardless of whether or not he wants that future. Some dramas even go as far as to portray the restriction of the son’s love life in order to continue the family legacy. To me, the word legacy is vast and unfamiliar. It’s almost scary, even. My family is not rich. My parents aren’t business owners, and I’m definitely not pressured to “take over the job” anytime soon. In fact, as a kid I never felt pressured with any potential legacies passing onto me. It almost seemed as though my family lacked a legacy. Instead, I grew up with the expectation to be an academic overachiever, graduate, and get a very well-paying job, one that is less sweat-shedding and back-breaking than my parents’, to start my own legacy. I am the one expected to be the beginning of a healthier, wealthier, and successful generation. Despite this, I believe that all families, including my own, have always had a bit of a legacy. Not every family has a job title to pass down, but we all have intergenerational experiences, ideas, or even trauma passed down that can be considered a part of a legacy. Legacies aren’t always tangible or positive, which is why it can take some work to break. I’m the first in my immediate family to graduate high school and attend college. This fact is already my first step in breaking my family’s so-called legacy. However, I don’t plan on destroying my family’s legacy completely. Both my parents are extremely hard workers. They have worked day and night, and have shed blood, sweat and tears to escape and immigrate to an unfamiliar, foreign land. They have attempted and struggled to learn a brand new language from scratch, and even adjusted to the different currency and values of the United States, all to support their daughter and extended families back in Vietnam. I hope to continue my parents’ pattern of working hard to give back to the very people that have spent countless time and energy to raise me into becoming the person that I am today. This is the part of my family’s legacy that I hope to continue.