Embedded Files
Illustrations made by Tui Bui, Copyright 2017
What's The Importance of Learning?
This page will emphasize immigration: the experience, the struggle, and the impact. Our college course, Global Viewpoints in Literature, has put together this website with a basis of Asian American immigration, the effects that it has had on its cultures and family traditions and values, and as a population.
Featured Work: The Best We Could Do
The author of The Best We Could Do, Thi Bui, has created a book about her family's journey from their war-torn home in Vietnam to their new lives in America. It explores the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child. Thi is having her first child and speaking about the difficulties she went through when giving birth, Thi begins by talking about her mother and when she gave birth to Thi's sister Lan as well as Tam and Bich, Thi's mother has had two miscarriages but altogether she would have had six children. As Thi grows up she starts to discover what altimetry means to be a parent the endless sacrifices, the unnoticed gestures, and the unspoken love. Thi gives a summary of her father Bo on what it was like growing up with an abusive father and living in a home where Bo would watch his mother be beaten by his father. Thi's family starts looking for ways to escape Vietnam after Bui's uncle disappears and Hai's wife buys a boat they ask Thi's family if they want to come with them and they accept, then everyone wait until night to leave hiding under a deck until the time is right to make their escape. Thi's family eventually gets to Malaysia and they end up going on a plane and end up in Chicago on June 28, 1978 they stay with Thi's mother's sister Dao, and then Thi's family ends up moving again to a warmer place to stay at in California and they found an apartment to live in. as Thi grew up she found a man named Travis they ended up getting married and having a baby. This book examines the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home"
Jayce Kinney
Featured Video: Exclusion: The Shared Asian American Experience
This video is a great introduction to the timeline of mass Asian immigration and the start of Asian discrimination in the form of laws, regulations and bans in America. It showcases major dates in history regarding to Asia and Asian Americans and gives insight to how these issues still remain present in todays society. I will note that while this video did come out last year, it doesn't talk about the up rise of Asian hate that started during and after the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. The virus originated in Wuhan, China, and as a result there was an uproar of hate and discrimination towards Asain-Amercians, even those who were born and raised in the U.S. A result of racisms and not being educated .
Syniah Edelen
Author's Notes
1st Picture Syniah (2024) 2nd Picture Syniah (2022)
Hi! We're so glad you stumbled onto our webpage!
I'm more than excited to introduce myself! My name's Syniah Edelen or Mara for short. As of summer 2024, I'll be a senior at Marion County High School and I can't wait, anyways all this to say, I am an avid musical lover, an Alto, a goober, a mental health advocate for my school, and a book lover. There is so much more about me that I can't fit here, so please feel free to follow Instagram @syniahhhisntherern. DMs are always available for anyone who wants/needs to chat!
Spread love! (she/her) <3
As a participating student of the Gear Up Summer Academy since 2022 and since then each class has taught me many valuable lessons about collage life and real word issues. This class will always hold a special place in my heart because it has challenged me in so many different ways and forced me to grow as a writer, reader and a public speaker. Whenever I used to think about global conflicts I always viewed them as a whole. Not once did I ever stop and think about how it would feel to be an induvial in this situation, but after the discussions and media I've been introduced to while in this class has challenged me to out myself into these situations and for the first real time experience empathy as more than just an instant reaction, but as a true and thought out emotion. A skill that I will carry and value more than anything. I want to thank my professor, Dr. Toyna Krouse for teaching me over my time here because I like I have learned more in the three weeks I've spent with her than in any class I've taken in the past. As I continue my journey as both a high schooler and a human I want to carry the lessons with me not just in my head, but in my heart. Thank You.
Erin Carpenter - (All Pronouns)
I'm Erin, and I'm an artist of many different types and mediums! Professionally, I am a junior at Fleming County High School but personally, I am a cat lover and parent of 10 cats, a huge poetry nerd, and a bleeding heart. I enjoy reading, writing, and painting. My favorite book is The Spirit Bares it's Teeth by Andrew Joseph White.
When I first signed up for a position in the Gear-UP Summer Academy, I had only been looking for an escape from home for 3 weeks, but I've come to realize it has been much more than that. I have met wonderful people, had a whole new world opened to me, and began to find a voice. Dr. Krouse, our Global Viewpoints in Literature professor has showed us the ropes of exploring different and unique cultures in a way that most of us have never been exposed to. This class has taught me a more mutual respect and understanding of other groups and ethnicities of people. I have been informed of different sides of conflict I previously had never heard and have opened my eyes to the tremendous amount of stories out there.
Name: Jayce Kinney (she/her)
School: Pendleton County High School
My Bio: Hello, I'm Jayce! My favorite color is pink, I love sunflowers, and am definitely a dog lover! (I have four at home) I love all kinds of music but my favorite artist is Billie Eilish. I can be shy but if you get to know me I can be really funny and kind. I like to read when I have spare time my all-time favorite book is The Bride Home, I'm a junior at Pendleton County High School, I enjoy coloring in my free time as well, and one quote I like is "Life is a one time offer use it well".
my reflection! : In the last three weeks of being here at NKU I have learned how to be more engaged in conversations we have as a class, and be more confident in stating my own opinions in the books we have been reading also in group work, I was able to understand more about other cultures and things they go through that I may not go through. I've made many friends while being here and I'm glad I decided to enroll in the Gear Up Summer Academy!, I have had an amazing experience working with my classmates and my professor, my classmates as well as my professor have given me nice feedback on things I need to improve on and things that I could be good at. While being in class I have learned that it is important to have global awareness, I was able to get an understanding of those around me from different cultural backgrounds. One thing that resonated with me is how different the three books that I have read are, but they all have some type of important message to them in their way. It was difficult to see the obstacles and challenges immigrants/people of different cultures may or have gone through, but it was a nice learning experience!
Name: Logan Thomas (He/Him)
School: Mercer County Senior High School
Bio: I'm Logan, an aspiring author/psychologist/therapist. Hobbies include: Writing, gaming, reading, music, researching whatever peaks my interest, building model kits, gardening, and collecting books, posters, and random knickknacks that I put on my bookshelves (as if they aren't already full enough.)
Favorite Animal(s): Birds/Cats/Dogs
Favorite Color: Yellow/Green
Favorite Quote: "Anywhere can be paradise as long as there is the will to live. After all, you are alive, so you will always have the chance to be happy. As long as the Sun, Moon, and Earth exist, everything will be okay."
Personal Reflection:
When I first started this course, it wasn't what I expected. In my mind, I saw this as just another English class, never would I have guessed that I would be learning about African colonization or the effect that war and the clashing of ideals can have on a nation's cultures, beliefs, and people, such as those in the Middle East. It was a surprise, to say the least, and during the first week, I found it difficult to adjust and engage thanks to a mindset I developed during quarantine. I used to have a habit of worrying and stressing out over things I had no control over or could do nothing about, such as the effect which covid 19 had on other parts of the world. I realized that this habit took its toll on my mental health, so I narrowed my worldview to my home, and those around me. However, this narrowminded viewpoint made it difficult to engage and get interested in the class because I had no interest in other places problems, and events at first. Once I got used to it, I could feel that my worldview was expanding, and I became more interested in the class. It helped that Exit West and The Best That We Could Do were more interesting books than Nervous Conditions in my opinion, which made it easier to get more interested and engaged in the class. I think that this class overall has had a positive influence on me as a person, and it has helped to expand my worldview once more and help to see the bigger picture.
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