“When I went to college, I thought about joining one of those...

“When I went to college, I thought about joining one of those Asian student organizations. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go ‘all in’ on being Asian. I had to ask myself how integral it was to my identity. I’ve never been very traditional. I grew up in a white town on Long Island. If I described myself in three adjectives, ‘Asian’ wouldn’t be one of them. But on the other hand, the world is going to see race anyway. I view myself as Chinese, but Asian is the first thing people see. So if it’s how everyone sees you, should you see yourself the same way?”