PerspectivesApril 12, 20136

Hope ingnites flame of fulfillment

Stereotypes result in divided community

By BELINDA HUANGEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

By LAUREN FANSTAFF WRITER

Stereotypes are widely held ideas that dictate the mindsets of many Americans today. These stereotypes are the reason for the limited scope on how people perceive each other. Our

As my journey in high school comes to a bittersweet close, I have been looking back on all that I have done. And looking back, I’d like to believe that I’m quite successful and even quite talented.

From my acceptance and scholarship to the world renown music school, Berklee College of Music, to the many accolades I have received such as 1st place in News Writing and the district scholarship, I seem to have it all—success and talent.

But the cold hard truth is this: I possess neither. And this is not some play on false humility. No, I possess neither success nor talent because none of this comes from me. It comes from somewhere higher, from something greater, from a source that is beyond me—it comes from hope.

I have a hope. And this hope is what has led me to all of the things I have accomplished. This hope is the well from which I draw the water that replenishes and sustains me in every breath and step.

My hope is for everything I do to last beyond this transient and go into the realms of eternity. In other words, I hope that what I do, specifically for people, always stays with them beyond today and tomorrow, but infinitely.

And thus, if what I do lasts forever, then what I do matters. And when what I do matters, I treat it with the utmost of importance. So it is with this hope that I persevere, practice, work hard and have

parochial thoughts engulf the hate crimes and foul language used in society to this day. Instead of being the diverse yet united country that we consider ourselves to be, we judge each other based on race instead of ability. For instance, many have become infuriated by the thought that Asians dominate the science and mathematics departments. People are coming to believe that their jobs are being taken by the newly immigrated Asians. According to Taki’s Magazine The “Asian privilege”, is the idea of handing people jobs and letting them slide on by in life so long as they are, Asian. Study shows that about 4.8% of the American population is comprised of the Asian race, but Asians make up 8.3% of all doctors. African Americans on the other hand make up 13% of the population but only 2.3% of the doctoral field. But statistics alone simply do not provide enough contexts as to how Asians earned their places in society. Asians dominate certain academic fields mainly due to their cultural upbringing. When

competition is the only thing that is taught in Asia, “survival of the fittest” can be clearly seen in modern society. With Asians climbing over each other to maintain their A+ grades, it is no wonder why most international students in America come from countries like China and India. Another contributing factor as to why Asians

programs, and colleges due to their race, which is one of the main reasons why Asians strive so hard to achieve their goals. Each race has something they are generally superior in. Though knowing this, we still so strung up by the fact that other races are doing our own race injustice.

It is not to say that the Asian race is the only one targeted. In fact many other races are subject to being attacked by false stereotypes. It seems to be that many people have a problem with admiring and embracing any race but their own. Perhaps this is the result of personal insecurity, but we should not despise the success of another if we know we have the innate ability to achieve the same success. In fact, too many of us are riding upon a high horse to even consider all the contributions each race has brought into society. After all, America is a just huge melting pot, which is not particularly owned by a certain race. Asians, for the most part, do not get handed things easily in life. In fact, no one does. There is

certainly no race currently residing in the United States that receives employment based on their ethnicity. And though the colors of our skins are different and our cultures are each diverse, we must keep in mind that each and every race has made its own contribution to society. ART/AUDREY WANG

have earned their place in society is that Asians, as surprising as it seems, are actually a minority in education. An individual of the Asian race with the same academic statistics of another individual from any other race would be rejected from scholarships,

the best.That is the reason why I practice hours upon hours every single day. That is the reason why I write songs for others.

And when I was accepted, fulfillment happened. Not just fulfillment of my dream, but fulfillments of my deeper, more profound hope that I am on my way to use music even more powerfully to touch the lives of others.This idea

also extends to everything else that I do. Whether it is tennis, Paw Prints or choir, I treat them with utmost importance. I always work hard, care about the people around me and give my best because it matters—because I have a hope.

So all of these other awards I have received my senior year have not resulted from talent. Far from it. They resulted from, ultimately, my desire to love and care about people and what I do.

As I leave this year and this high school chapter, I leave it with peace knowing that I have fulfilled my hopes here. I have formed true relationships with my friends and teachers, touched people with my music and have a vast future to look forward to.

Finally, going into the next chapter of college, I will continue to persevere and grow because of this same hope.

And with this lens, I see others. Everyone has gifts. Everyone has potential. Everyone can choose to live a life full of hope. And when that choice is made, everything changes. Suddenly, what you do matters because there will come a day of fulfillment. And when that day comes, everything will be worth it. There will be nothing that can compare to that kind of overflow of joy and life.

So there is a choice to be made. Nothing in life comes easy, but that is what makes hope so special—it endures through day and night. Live with that hope. A hope of fulfillment. A purpose for every day. A true reason for living. ART/SALLY TRINH

Because my hope for music is simply this: to make a living art that breathes joy, hope and inspiration into others. So the reason why I applied only to Berklee is so I can go there and learn the best so I can give

an unquenchable passion in life. I do all things with a genuine heart, keeping hope as a seed. Because the thing about hope is, hope grows into an expectation. Then the expectation waits for fulfillment. And

when the fulfillment finally comes, there are no words that can describe the beauty, excitement and pure joy that come with it.

Fulfillment is what happened for me this year in a vast array of areas. But first and foremost, my hope for music was fulfilled in large part when I received my acceptance and scholarship to Berklee.