Meiyi W.

She/her | 20 | Hunan province

The books that I drew are two of my favorite books I’ve read. One is called Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed and the other is Normal People by Sally Rooney.

I am a cognitive science major on a pre-med track, so I take a lot of science classes.

I grew up as a competitive gymnast, but decided to quit when I was twelve years old as it had become my whole life.

I ran cross country in high school and ultimate frisbee. I still play ultimate frisbee in college and love both the community and exercise that comes with it.

I drew some clothes, because I love to shop. I love new clothes and fashion.

Underneath that I drew my comfort foods. The one in the bowl represents Mapo Tofu, which is my favorite sichuan dish. The other dish represents Baozi, which always made me so happy when my mom made it for me. I drew in my family and our cat whose name is Linky.

Family and friends are important to me and I am so lucky to have such a supportive and loving family. The blueberry bush represents my lake house in Vermont where I spent most of my childhood summers. It also represents my love for being outdoors and nature.

Connecting with Chinese culture

To start off with the main way I connect and feel connected to Chinese culture is through my name. Names are an incredibly important part of every persons identity. For me, my name Meiyi (美 “mei” meaning beautiful and 怡 “yi” meaning content) carries deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. I always took pride in defining my name to others and valuing the beauty and uniqueness of it.

In middle school, I enrolled into a Chinese immersion school where I began my journey learning Chinese. I have continued to study Mandarin throughout high school and into college for one semester. Learning the language to be at an intermediate level has helped me feel more connected to Chinese culture. It has also made my desire to go back to China stronger in hopes of having an immersive experience someday.

Food has also been a huge connection to Chinese culture. I always loved eating Chinese food growing up. I used to beg my parents to make more Chinese food for our dinners or order takeout from the best chinese restaurant. Recently, I have been fascinated to learn how to cook more Chinese meals and foods.

Growing Into My Identity:

Throughout my childhood I struggled a lot with identity, primarily in the context of race and culture. I want to share a part of my story on how being a Chinese American adoptee has become foundational in my identity through an essay I wrote as a Junior in high school when I was especially struggling with figuring out my identity.