Irene Zhong
Integration as Opposed to Separation
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Irene Zhong
Irene Zhong
My name is Irene Zhong. I am of Chinese descent and my parents were immigrants from China. My inspiration to give back to my community comes from learning about my parents' sacrifices. Navigating a foreign environment taught them that people ought to be treated with care. Their teachings have molded me into a generally reserved and mostly respectful teenager. The downside of this is that I apologize too much. However, through this process, I have had to learn how to push myself outside of my comfort zone to pursue values and ideals that weren't initially mine, but became mine. I learned to accommodate until I understood, and sometimes even changed my mind. My work has led me to become a more open-minded person who tries to speak less in a casual setting and more in a formal setting.
I have a twin sister named Ivey, and people often get us confused. My favorite part is when others ask if we have telepathy. The answer is yes–don't let any scientist tell you "there's no such thing as telepathy."
Causes I Care about....
Causes I Care about....
My parents are conservatives; my school's curriculum incorporates liberal values. As the bearer and transferer of these ideas from both perspectives, I noticed a toxic, unproductive language that reverberates from both sides. When I take liberal ideas home to my parents, they tear into it like lions to gazelles. When I take conservative ideas to school... well, let's just say I don't take conservative ideas to school. The main issue is generalization and using language such as "always" and "never" and leaving out the specifics. Thus, it has become important to me to encourage a mindset that is open to listening and considering. I believe in the importance of civil discourse. When I joined Shanti Alliance in my 10th grade year, I was introduced to restorative justice, which is a procedural model of justice that prefers healing over punishment. This healing is brought about through restorative justice processes such as a restorative circle that encourages safety of space, equal and uninterrupted sharing, and vulnerability. My work primarily focuses on introducing restorative justice to Punahou School. By incorporating this way of thinking at the secondary schooling level, it can change the way future generations approach problem-solving. Instead of maintaining adamant independence in and solidarity with one's own belief, they may consider the imperative tool of listening with an open mind. If restorative justice values are implemented at the national level, then the unproductive political divide might have hope of becoming productive.
The Distinction Journey (a video of no more than 5 minutes)
The video to the right summarizes my work in three minutes. I start off by introducing the main idea behind the work I've done, how it transforms, and why it's important. This video attempts to include brief mentions of both the good and the bad of working with restorative justice.
My Distinction Video.movPage updated
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