25 yr. old Korean American female

Q: Were you born in the U.S.? If not, where were you born?
A: Yes, I was “made” in Korea and born in Frankfort, KY – my mother came here when she was 5 months pregnant with me.

Q: What different cities, states, and/or countries have you lived in?
A: I have lived in Frankfort, KY; Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA; Laramie, WY; Brookings, SD; Houston, TX; Rochester, MN

Q: Which do you consider your hometown (‘the place you most consider home’):
A: Brookings, SD

Q: Involvements in clubs or organizations (ethnic or non-ethnic apply):
A: In college, I was involved in the Pre-Dental Club, Microbiology Club, Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Computer Science Club, College Democrats and Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)

Q: Parents’ occupation:
A: My father is a Computer Science professor and my mother is a stay at home mom.

Q: What gives purpose to your life?
A: All the relationships I have in my life – family, friends, significant others – are what make me feel I have a life purpose. The expectations I have from these relationships drive me and guide me through life.

Q: What relationships have been of major significance to you?
A: The relationship I have with my parents is one that is not only the most important to me, but it is also the one that bears the most significance. They are more or less an anchor for me when it comes to my Korean heritage; however, at the same time, they provide a contrast to the non-Korean side of my life. My parents allow me to compare and contrast the different cultures I’ve been raised in even though they represent the Korean side of my life.

Q: What is the racial and ethnic background of your closest friends? If they are of multiple ethnic backgrounds feel free to indicate their backgrounds.
A: My closest friends are Caucasian. They are primarily from the Midwest (Scandinavian and German descent).

Q: When and how did you become aware of concepts of your race and/or ethnicity?
A: I was aware of my cultural/racial identity at a very young age. My parents told me that I was first and foremost Korean. They have always made it clear for me to respect my Korean heritage and be proud of it.

Q: What language do your parents speak at home? What is their predominant language on an everyday basis?
A: My parents speak Korean at home. I would say their predominant language is Korean – my father obviously speaks English at work, but when my parents communicate with each other it is in Korean.

Q: What languages do you speak? What language do you speak most at home?
A: I speak Korean and English. My family and I speak only Korean at home with the exception of when we have non-Korean speaking guests.

Q: Do you feel like their expectations of gender roles are ‘traditional’?
A: No, I do not. My parents are proud that I have graduated from college and have started a career. They want me to continue with my career even if I get married and have children later. They re-emphasize time and time again that I need to be independent – I have to be responsible for myself and be able to support myself.

Q: Have they ever expressed career expectations for you? What were those expectations?
A: Yes, my parents have expressed career expectations for me since a very young age. They had the expectation that I would earn a college degree at the very least in either the sciences or engineering with the exception of law.

Q: Have you ever dated outside of your ethnicity?
A: I have dated two Koreans and my other relationships as well as my current have been with Caucasian males.

Q: If you answered yes, did your parents accept and respect your choice?
A: No. Ideally, my parents would like me to “settle down” with a Korean; however, they are picky when it even comes to even dating a Korean. He cannot be an international student from Korea and preferably have a similar situation as me – born in the US or immigrated to the US at a very young age. As of lately though, they are coming around and are definitely more acceptable of my current boyfriend who is Caucasian.

Q: If you answered no, can you recall a time where you were interested in dating someone of another ethnicity but felt pressure from others not to date that person based on their ethnicity?
A: No, I do not think I have ever NOT dated somebody because of their ethnicity despite my parents’ wishes.

Q: What is your educational status?
A: I have a B.S. in Computer Science and Biology and a minor in Mathematics. I am currently pursuing a MBA.

Q: How do you define academic success?
A: I feel academic success is achieved when one can truly say he/she has walked away with a greater sense of knowledge of a given topic. I am also a believer that grades do reflect the effort you put in (greater effort = success) because you should “earn” your grades.

Q: How do you define success in general?
A: There are different metrics I use to measure success. I will list them without any specific order of significance:
* I think the relationships that one has is a measure of success. It is not necessarily the quantity but quality. These relationships can range from family and friends to colleagues. I feel if you have “healthy” relationships (relationships based on integrity and loyalty) in all facets of life that is a sign of success.
* Reaching and exceeding goals set by oneself and his/her relationships.

Q: Throughout your time in school, how often did you encounter people who assumed you were smart because you were Asian?
A: There have been a few times that people have assumed I was smart because I was Asian; however, many of these times, it was said in a joking manner. I cannot think of one significant incidence, but a general example would be when a professor would be handing back exams or post scores from the last exam, people would ask me if I got the highest score in class. Sometimes, if I did well on an exam or assignment, people would joke and say that I’d have to try to get a bad grade because I’m Asian.

Q: Have you visited the country or countries of your ethnic origin/s?
A: Yes.

Q: How knowledgeable are you about the history of the country or countries?
A: I am fairly knowledgeable of the history through information from my family and self-study.

Q: Please list at least 3 feelings you had while visiting.
A: I felt that objectively I fit in with the social backdrop, but subjectively, I felt like there was a small disconnect. Despite all the previous feelings I mentioned, there is a comfort level that I experienced being immersed in a society of my country of ethnic origin.

Q: On average, how long did it take before you felt others knew you were American?
A: Because I am very fluent in the spoken language, many people did not know that I was actually American until I told them that I was just visiting from the States.

Q: If you were born in America, did anyone ever assume you weren’t American because you are Asian?
A: Yes.

Q: How were you treated?
A: They treated me like anyone else. Again, I think this goes back to the fact that I was able to effectively communicate with them.

Q: Do you feel a sense of belonging when you are in the company of people, a majority who are of your ethnic group? How strongly do you feel this on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being not at all, 5 being very strongly)?
A: Yes. 3.

Q: Do you feel a sense of belonging when you are in the company of people, a majority who are Asian? How strongly do you feel this on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being not at all, 5 being very strongly)?
A: Yes. 3.

Q: Do you listen to music, watch movies, eat the food of your ethnic country or countries? How often do you do these things on a regular basis on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being not at all, 5 being very often)?
A: Yes, I listen to music, watch movies/shows, and eat Korean food. 4.

Q: If you were born in America, did anyone ever assume you weren’t American because you are Asian? (same question posed above, but this applies to experiences in America). Please give a brief description of this incident.
A: Yes. I was treated as if I didn’t understand what the person was saying. I was up in the payroll office when I started my campus job in college and the lady who was helping me said I could only work if I was a permanent resident or US citizen. I told her I was, but she proceeded to tell me I needed to have a green card or have a US passport. When I showed her my passport, she said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. You just don’t look American.”

Q: Do you believe that one’s emotional needs are less important than fulfilling one’s responsibilities?
A: For me, I get emotional fulfillment from performing my responsibilities.