During the summer before my freshmen year of high school, one of the most significant changes in my life occurred: I moved from the busy, populated city of Arlington, Texas to the rural, “all- white” Jackson County, Tennessee. Believe it or not, the first three words that I heard during my first day attending Jackson County High School were, “Are you Asian?” Shortly after my first appearance, I was given the nickname Chow, which has stuck throughout my entire high school incumbency. At first I was really unsure of how I felt about this name, and many of my teachers worried that I would be offended by it. However, as I ventured from being the new kid in town to getting to know most of the people in this “all- white” county, I’ve come to embrace …show more content…
It has taught me that I have the power to choose. I have the power to choose how I respond to that label. I have the power to choose how I view myself, and to not allow my identity to be drawn from the way that others see me. Finally, I have the power to choose the way that I see others, regardless of the label that they have been given; because in reality, a label is just a label. It is merely a reflection of how other people see them, not of the person that they truly are.
Because of this experience, I know that in the future I will be able to work and get along with anybody, no matter their gender, color, ethnicity or religion. I know that I have the power to choose the way that I view them and to not judge them by their appearance or beliefs, but to look to their character instead. I also know that I have the ability to recognize that every persons’ different background gives them a unique view/ gift that they can contribute to any given situation. I intend to view every man and woman equally, no matter where they come from, just as the Declaration of Independence states that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created