Project title: Foreignness and Multiculturalism in East Asia
Project description: What happens when westerners become a minority in a country? How are the assimilation strategies of immigrants in East Asia different from immigrants who settled in the West? How are foreign communities different in make-up and culture in different countries in East Asia? How does homogeneity in a country’s racial make-up influence nationalism? What kind of people in East Asia would embrace multiculturalism more? How do colonial legacies affect the mentalities of people in East Asia? These are some preliminary questions that I would like to explore with my project.
Most important accomplishment: Yet to come.
Reflections on the College Scholar program: The program provided me with a structured way to explore my true academic interests — I find this as something really hard to do amidst the pressure to become successful in societal terms these days. Thus, having a community of people who are all trying to delve into our true passions has been motivating me. Plus, when I embarked on this path, I realized things just became different. For example, I can actually have meaningful conversations about my project with professors — what would I have to say to them before?