Transforming Pressure into Strength

Growing up as an Asian American often meant navigating a landscape marked by high expectations and cultural pressures. This was often supported by the immigrant experience that our parents underwent while moving to the United States. While I can never truly know that experience and of the sacrifices the past generations had gone through to make it this far, I and many other Asian Americans can attest to the weight that that tribulation places on the shoulders of future generations - for the sake of ensuring a stable future, providing for the family back home, or achieving success unimaginable in the settings our parents may have been brought up. Resultantly, Asian Americans have now become the byproduct of standards that require us to push ourselves academically and professionally.

Looking back on my life thus far, this pressure, along with the immense stress, offered a profound opportunity for growth. Pursuing what was perceived by my parents to be the standards of “academic or professional success”, I have learned my limitations and recognized that while perfection is an ideal, it does not always need to be a reality. This ongoing effort to make those expectations while also pushing myself towards “greater heights” forced me to confront the fact that I needed to appreciate myself more for the smaller victories that I had already achieved on the way up. Those late nights studying for my 2nd MCAT in the library, the numerous application drafts, and the early mornings waking up as a MA before even the sun came up all meant something. This realization allowed me to balance ambition with self-compassion and appreciate my own unique strengths. Horrible in the moment, they shaped me to be the medical student I am today and I cannot discount them in my journey of achieving even just the feat of my first acceptance.

Ultimately, the struggle with unrealistic standards and cultural expectations can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself. This self-awareness transforms personal challenges into weapons, enabling us to excel in our chosen fields, whichever that may be, by leveraging those unique experiences, passion, and the sometimes misplaced pressure to push us to the next day and into a stronger version of ourselves.