LGBTQIA+ folks experience great disparities in health outcomes compared to the general population. But folks who fall within the intersections of LGBTQIA+ identities, immigration status, racial minorities, or disabled bodies experience an even more layered form of oppression in accessing equitable healthcare. As an Asian, bisexual, non-binary immigrant with disabilities, I have experienced this oppression first hand which is why I want to address the injustices folks in the LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized communities face. I believe I can acheive this goal by obtaining a Master’s in Epidemiology to positively influence public health policies surrounding minority populations. When I was 6 years old my mom was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis. I often spent time with her in the hospital. My mom’s experience at the hospital often was filled with long, anxiety-ridden wait times as the nurses tried to reach a language interpreter. I would help her schedule appointments with confused medical receptionists questioning why a little kid was booking their mom’s appointment. I know that many times she wanted to give up her medical treatment process because of the language barrier, the lack of insurance, and the stigma she faces. As I accompanied her to the doctor’s visit I would listen to the doctor explain her disease. They showed us a plastic liver organ and the ultrasound images of her liver. I would peek at the images and get my hands on the plastic organ as soon as they offered. I was fascinated by the human body. After a few weeks, I noticed how empowered my mom felt to recover from her illnesses. But I also took note of the barriers she faced accessing that care as an immigrant. I wanted to do what those doctors did, empower folks with knowledge of their body and health on an individual level. However, I also wanted to figure out how I could remove unjust barriers to accessing healthcare for communities. Living at the intersection as a queer person, a first-generation immigrant, and someone with ADHD I experienced homelessness, discrimination, and many injustices seeking healthcare. I am most passionate about contributing to and having my voice heard in the healthcare field because having good health is the most valuable asset one can have, I want that for the immigrant and LGBTQIA+ community. This is why I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health Epidemiology prior to pursuing medical school. I aspire to use the knowledge I gain to improve healthcare justice for immigrants and LGBTQIA+ individuals. I believe that we cannot simply be members of a community, we must stand up and be those who shape it.

I contemplated making a post to honor AAPI heritage but as May approached I found myself frustratingly lost for words. My words just sounded superficial and unauthentic. Describing the connection between my queer identity and my heritage was (and still is) more difficult than I thought. I often feel like two people. I was born in Vietnam, I speak Vietnamese fluently, I love eating Viet foods, my ancestors and my family are extremely important to me and I embrace many parts of Vietnamese culture. Yet, I felt extremely alienated and isolated from my motherland. That’s because I am openly and unabashedly queer, an identity that my family and many seem to think makes me more American than Vietnamese as if you could only be one or the other. It seemed like the more my queer identity flourished, the more my heritage became a blurred background. I have experienced homophobia from within the Viet community as well as racism within the LGBT community. The hyphen between “Asian-American” became a period, a wall that divided my queer identity and ethnicity-my queer and Viet identity becoming like oil & water. I internalized that everything queer, and progressive results from my proximity to whiteness and being American and everything conservative, homophobic, misogynistic, from Vietnam. I live each day feeling like two forces pulling me apart in opposite directions. I realized that I have begun to internalize one of the intergenerational traumas of colonization—cultural erasure. By implying and believing that Vietnamese culture is inherently conservative, I have implied that progressive ideals and queerness are a product of U.S. assimilation.⠀ It was to my surprise and joy to learn that Vietnam’s history prior to colonial erasure is deeply rooted in a matrilineal society, a lineage of gender variant people who uplifted prayers to spirits, a history of art that rose from the hands of queer and trans identities. I am humbled and reminded that the resilience that overcame thousands of years of colonization, war, and nights lost at sea, is the same resilience that gave me life when I was at my lowest. That same strength and resilience my ancestors had gives me breath today to fight for my rights and space as a Queer Vietnamese- Immigrant.⠀ My Vietnamese and queer identity has taught me to look at the world from many perspectives. The struggles that come with being a first-generation Queer Vietnamese immigrant give me the passion today to advocate for marginalized communities. It has taught me to embrace differences, never stop learning. My career aspiration is deeply rooted in who I am. As a Vietnamese person, one of the most important values that I hold is filial piety, compassion, and respect for our elders. As someone who holds this cultural value close to heart, I saw and recognized the lack of compassion and the challenges many LGBTQIA+ elders face in our current healthcare system. The discrimination and lack of aging services that center LGBTQIA+ elders’ unique needs leave them lonely at the most vulnerable stages of life. This is why I chose to take up public health and a career in medicine focused on taking care of LGBTQIA+ elders. I am determined to bridge the gap within my self-identities and importantly bridge the gap of health disparities among LGBTQIA+ elders. This scholarship will help me overcome my financial hardship and graduate from my program. As the first person in my family to graduate undergrad, and make it to graduate school I have had to face many challenges on my own as a first-gen student. Any help is help that will make a great difference.

LGBTQIA+ folks experience great disparities in health outcomes compared to the general population. But folks who fall within the intersections of LGBTQIA+ identities, immigration status, racial minorities, or disabled bodies experience an even more layered form of oppression in accessing equitable healthcare. As an Asian, bisexual, non-binary immigrant with disabilities, I have experienced this oppression first hand which is why I want to address the injustices folks in the LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized communities face. I believe I can acheive this goal by obtaining a Master’s in Epidemiology to positively influence public health policies surrounding minority populations. When I was 6 years old my mom was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis. I often spent time with her in the hospital. My mom’s experience at the hospital often was filled with long, anxiety-ridden wait times as the nurses tried to reach a language interpreter. I would help her schedule appointments with confused medical receptionists questioning why a little kid was booking their mom’s appointment. I know that many times she wanted to give up her medical treatment process because of the language barrier, the lack of insurance, and the stigma she faces. As I accompanied her to the doctor’s visit I would listen to the doctor explain her disease. They showed us a plastic liver organ and the ultrasound images of her liver. I would peek at the images and get my hands on the plastic organ as soon as they offered. I was fascinated by the human body. After a few weeks, I noticed how empowered my mom felt to recover from her illnesses. But I also took note of the barriers she faced accessing that care as an immigrant. I wanted to do what those doctors did, empower folks with knowledge of their body and health on an individual level. However, I also wanted to figure out how I could remove unjust barriers to accessing healthcare for communities. Living at the intersection as a queer person, a first-generation immigrant, and someone with ADHD I experienced homelessness, discrimination, and many injustices seeking healthcare. I am most passionate about contributing to and having my voice heard in the healthcare field because having good health is the most valuable asset one can have, I want that for the immigrant and LGBTQIA+ community. This is why I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health Epidemiology prior to pursuing medical school. I aspire to use the knowledge I gain to improve healthcare justice for immigrants and LGBTQIA+ individuals. I believe that we cannot simply be members of a community, we must stand up and be those who shape it.