Bridging the Cultural Gaps Essay Contest Series
Series 1: “Dear Mom, Dear Dad”
Essay Contest Winners
First Place
Scarlet Jacobson
Grade 11, Oregon Episcopal School
Second Place
Nicole Wang
Grade 10, Brooklyn Technical High School
Andrea Zhang
Grade 11, Livingston High School
Third Place
Eileen Jiang
Grade 11, Furness Horace High School
Emily Chin
Grade 12, Castro Valley High School
Yuan Cheng
Grade 10, Marlborough School
Honorable Mention
Maggie Chen
Grade 9, Thomas A. Edison High School
Jackson Guo
Grade 11, School Without Walls High School
Meagan To
Grade 11, George Washington High School
Taylor Wong
Grade 11, Santa Clara High School
Emma Hu
Grade 9, Carmel High School
Lauren Hui
Grade 12, Castro Valley High School
Connie Wu Huang
Grade 12, Galileo Academy of Science and Technology
Michelle Liu
Grade 9, The Madeira School
Jason Liaw
Grade 10, Poolesville High School
Bethany Liu
Grade 9, Palo Alto High School
Jincheng Zhao
Grade 11, Holton-Arms School
Kelly Ren
Grade 11, Thomas S. Wootton High School
Matthew Wang
Grade 10, Cherry Hill High School East
Emmy Qin Li
Grade 10, Pine View School
Micheal Li
Grade 12, McAuley CEEP
Students, do your parents know the things you struggle with? What would you like them to know?
What do you know about your parents' life journeys and their dreams? What would you like to ask them?
There is a wide cultural and generational gap between Chinese immigrant parents and their American children. Having vastly different life experiences, the parents often find it difficult to understand the struggles of their children growing up in America. On the other hand, the children also find it difficult to straddle two cultures and meet the expectations of their parents while struggling to fit in at school. Similar gaps may exist between later-generation Chinese Americans and their children, as well as between American parents and adopted children of Chinese descent.
Chinese American Museum in Washington DC in collaboration with Calvin J Li Memorial Foundation are introducing an annual Essay Contest series with an aim to Bridge the Cultural Gaps in Chinese American immigrant families. Our inaugural Essay Contest is titled “Dear Mom, Dear Dad,” an open letter from the children to their parent(s). In this letter, you can write something that you find it hard to say in person. You can express your appreciation and gratitude; you can voice your complaints and criticism. Most importantly, we would like you to share your struggles, your dreams, your questions, and your deepest emotion with your parents. We hope these essays will promote an open dialogue that will bring our families closer together, and help students and parents understand each other better.
Who can participate:
Current high school students of Chinese descent living in the US.
Genre and form:
Your essay should take the form, or genre, of a letter to one or both of your parents, or to another close relative. It should be no more than 1500 words (about 4 double-spaced pages). Please submit the essay as a Word document or PDF, in a 11 or 12 point font, double-spaced, with your name, the date of submission, your school, address, email, and telephone number. Be sure to number your pages!
Submission Deadline:
THIS COMPETITION HAS CLOSED
February 1st, 2023
How to submit:
Email student essays (Word or PDF files) to essays@chineseamericanmuseum.org. Please include names, email addresses, phone numbers, schools, and grade levels.
Prizes:
First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $700
Third Place: $400
Honorable Mention: $100
Other participating organizations:
CCACC Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinics
University of Maryland Asian American Studies Program
United Chinese Americans (UCA)
George Washington University Asian American Studies Program
Please email your submission to: essays@chineseamericanmuseum.org
