Asians Around Appalachia: Mary Nguyen

Mary Nguyen is an Asian-American high school senior from Bridgeport, West Virginia. She is a member of the tennis team at her high school. She enjoys reading, sowing, and baking in her free time.

Mary Nguyen

Interview

1. Have you ever felt out of place due to your identity? If so, where did you find a sense of community?

Yes, growing up I faced a lot of difficulty to be included in my predominantly white school. Even though I was physically among them, I never felt like I was apart of their group or accepted. It felt hard for me to be understood by them. However, upon entering Highschool, the people around me were more diverse and it gave me an opportunity to engage with them and to feel recognized and accepted.

2. Can you tell us about one of your stories related to being an AppalAsian? (e.g. household traditions, bullying/harassment, family business, etc.)

Growing up in Appalachia, I've had many experiences that shaped my character today. One of the memorable events included when I went to Walmart with my mother. One day, when my mother and I were looking at mangos , a man came up to us and arrogantly said “Don’t they grow mangos where you come from?”. We replied “yes”, and afterwards he said “Well, guess how I knew that” and laughed. We were irritated by his comment and left. It wasn’t the comment that bothered us, but it was knowing that he approached us because of our physical appearance. It was frustrating to acknowledge that people ostracize us for our appearance and that, in their eyes we’ll never be truly part of their community, regardless of how many years we’ve lived among them.

3. What is one Appalachian / Asian American related policy issue that’s important to you and why? (e.g. lack of representation, barriers to education/healthcare, economic inequality, etc.)

An Asian American policy issue that’s important to me is the preservation of Asian infrastructure in the U.S. For several years, big cities have been raising rent for people living in areas such as China town, trying to make them move and disband their community. They try to disband them to rebuild other and newer infrastructure. However, these areas are a cultural significance to our American history, and by disbanding such a long standing community, we would erase part of our history. Furthermore, many of these areas are a safe haven for many Asian people to make themselves feel home and accepted.

4. What is one piece of advice you would give to AppalAsians struggling to fit in?

One advice I would give to AppalAsian people is that regardless of what anyone says to you, nobody knows who you truly are, and therefore they have no room to put any judgment upon you. Henceforth, disregard what others say about you and be yourself.