Andrew Soonmyung Hwang
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Andrew Soonmyung Hwang
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You talked about how you found the balance between Korean, Korean American, and American identities. Before you found that balance, were there any struggles you went through?
“In elementary school, my dad really wanted me to do basketball. I was really interested in basketball - like watching it - but not really interested in playing myself, because all the white kids and black kids play, but there are no Asians. So, how do I fit in? I resisted doing anything like sports and all that, but my dad really wanted me to interact with those people. Even though there were no internal or external conflicts, he said that I should challenge myself overall and just because you’re Asian doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to do something you like.”
You said you were the oldest sibling. What would you want your sister to know about your family’s immigrant story?
“That it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy to come here. My parents always make it seem like it was easy. They continue to love us and go to work. The language barrier, the cultural barrier, and they had to take care of our family as well. So there was probably a lot on their mind when they came here, but they never really showed that aspect to us. So, I think that’s how we adjusted to American culture and at the same time, they instilled in us a sense of pride for our Korean heritage, so I hope my sister can really appreciate that about my parents and other immigrants as well.”
- Andrew Soonmyung Hwang
Andrew Soonmyung Hwang