What are the two most influential ideas you learned from your research? Why did these ideas impact you so much? Be specific.
Firstly, I realized through my research the reach media has in its various forms, television, cartoons, literature, across decades and generations. Works and shows from the 80s and 90s proved to be milestone moments in Asian American pop culture. This was contradictory to my previous assumptions that most media was more ephemeral and replaceable.
Additionally, I learned through my research that realities and expectations often have an interdependent relationship. For example, what stems from concrete economic, political factors such as Chinese immigration policy in turn shaped the cultural perception of Chinese immigrants during and well after those developments. I imagine that the converse also holds true, where existing perceptions and prejudices sway political decisions. What this meant was that it would be more “inaccurate” to only look at one component of society in isolation.
What do you hope people will learn from your project?
One should be proactive when seeking change. In order to change the narrative, one must be willing to seize the pen, so to speak.
What is the most important thing you learned about yourself, your community, and your world during your time at NNHS?
At a fundamental level, I have learned more about what I’ll call input, output. Just as in math, not all functions are linear and some habits, such as consistent sleep (or lack thereof) and efforts, like spaced repetition, have an exponential return on investment. I think this mental model is also applicable when looking at who you are influenced and surrounded by. Throughout high school, I have become more mindful of those “inputs,” and sought to glean insight standing on the shoulders of giants in developing a habit for reading (see first blog post). Here, I strongly resonate with a quote by Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” At the global level, I find that this principle illustrates how it only takes a small change to make a big difference. Yes, there are the global challenges facing billions of people, which seems daunting, but I’m reminded that a small nudge locally can have a cascading ripple effect, especially when we begin to consider the long term.
What advice would you give future NNHS seniors?
- We regret more often from inaction than from action.
- Memento Mori. “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”
- Amor Fati. Embrace fate, because life happens for you, not to you.
- Have expectations for yourself that are more important than those set by others.
- Whether for reasons of ability or feasibility, what limiting beliefs have you imposed on yourself?