#73. Caden & Evelyn Qiao, My Gift to America
Our parents came to China to pursue doctoral degrees with only a few hundred dollars in their pockets. They initially had a hard time adapting to American culture and suffered culture shock. But they realized that they didn’t need to lose themselves just to fit in. This epiphany really helps us embrace both our Asian roots and American soil. We have both burgers and dumplings. We play both Chess and Go. We learned both English and Chinese. We connect with our Asian peers and bond over our shared cultural experiences, but we also make friends with people of different backgrounds and accept them for who they are. We make sure to honor the Asian blood running through our veins, and we’ve never shied away from proudly demonstrating our Asian culture wherever we go, whether it be through cuisine, fashion, or even storytelling videos like this one. That’s the Qiao story.