Chinese international student identity formation in America

Identity and Diversity
Introduction
I am Chinese and an international student learning in the U.S. My Chinese heritage, culture and traditions inform who I am on many levels: my family life was shaped by these inputs, my youth was shaped by them, and my perspective on life has been shaped by them. However, in America, I see that there is a different culture here; there are different traditions and the story of the country provides a different set of inputs that inform people. I want to fit in here in America so I want to understand these inputs and be mindful of the expectations, perspectives, and needs that Americans have that I might not realize. For instance, Hofstede (1984) shows that there are numerous cultural dimensions that inform people’s perspectives. Chinese tend to have a higher tolerance of ambiguity and a longer-term vision than Americans. They also tend to accept inequalities whereas Americas tend to affirm equality as a principle that is important to them in society, according to Hofstede (1984). For me to fit in here, I feel that I can benefit from being aware of these cultural differences and making an effort to embrace the ideas that Americans value so that I can create a social identity that is pleasing to others.
Characteristics of My Identity
Ethnicity
There is no getting around the fact that my ethnicity makes up a big aspect of my identity. It is the first thing that people see. And as first impressions are the biggest impressions, my Asian ethnicity immediately gives off an impression to people before they even get to know me or talk to me. My ethnicity might give off a range of impressions that people have been programmed to think here in the West, a program that is rooted in “implicit prejudice” as Banazi, Bazerman and Chugh (2003) call it—“bias that emerges from unconscious beliefs” (p. 2). In other words, when an American sees a Chinese or Asian person, they might think that he or she is good at STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) because of what they have read about Asians in the news; or they might think that he or she is good at music; or that he or she is a Communist, or something like that. This is not intentional on the part of most Americans; it is just a way they have been conditioned to think about people of my ethnicity. At the same time, ethnicity impacts how I see myself and how I see others. I am conscious of my ethnic identity and the role that my heritage has played in my life. So my Chinese culture and background is a part of who I am and how my identity is formed.
Education
My identity has also been shaped by my education. I consider myself an educated person who has had the opportunity to come to America to expand on my learning. This is a great experience that not many people are able to have, so I am very appreciative of it. When I think of who I am, this chance of being an international student definitely defines my identity: it has given me new experiences, new perspectives, the ability to make new friends, and the chance to broaden my job possibilities.
Personality
Finally my personality also informs my identity. As Hofstede shows in his “identity pyramid,” the very top of the pyramid is where “we see ourselves as complex and special, and we resist any tendency to simplify, stereotype, or make generalizations about who we are” (Davidson, 2002). My personality is the high-point of my identity: it is the loft from which I see everything including myself. I interpret everything through this window of my identity. The way I see the various parts of my identity—my ethnicity, my education, all my experiences—I see them all through my sense of my own personality. So my personality, which I feel is very upbeat, positive, strong, inquisitive, and determined, plays a large part of what my identity is.
How My Identity Has Created Opportunities and Barriers
Opportunities
My identity has definitely created opportunities for me, according to what Banaji et al. (2003) show about how people can benefit from the biases that others hold. For example, because I am Chinese, people in the university here in the U.S. are very welcoming for the most part: they want to learn more about me and my culture, just as I want to learn more about them. They are inclined to have a high opinion of my academic intelligence based on my Asian ethnicity, so I sense that I benefit a lot just from being Chinese. I am popular on campus and I am treated with respect because people unconsciously hold the impression that all Asians are well-educated and that Asians in the U.S. must be especially smart otherwise they would not be here. I feel that I have many doors that open for me just because of my ethnicity alone. However, my education and my personality also help to create opportunities for me. I am able to demonstrate to others that I do have qualities and skills that make me good company to have and that would help an organization to succeed.
Barriers
On the other hand, not everyone is programmed or conditioned to respect my Asian ancestry. Some people, like the U.S. President, view the Chinese as hurtful to Americans because of trade. This idea spreads among some, so I sometimes sense that there is a bias against people of my ethnicity among people who fear that I am out to steal their job or to hurt their way of life. I have felt that was unwelcome in some restaurants before; I have felt people looking at me scornfully and not accepting me into their social circles. I have also felt that because of my ethnicity I get pigeon-holed into a stereotype: people think I only want to eat Chinese food, for instance. I have to continually work to remove this stereotype as it is an obstacle to the real me and the true expression of who I am.
How My Social Identity May Impact My Future
My social identity is that I am a Chinese international student, so right now I feel closely a part of the international student group. I feel like my social identity at this point in time allows me to mix with this group freely, as though we may all be from different parts of the world we are all foreigners here in America. So we share a social bond in that sense.
However, I know that I am not going to be a student forever. Soon I will be entering the workforce and then I do not think that my social identity will be so much based on my being Chinese. Instead, I believe my social identity will be based on the fact that I am a worker or employee of a specific company. Perhaps I am employed by GE or by Amazon. I will consider myself as having a social identity that is informed by this experience, by being a part of this workplace culture. As my nationality and ethnicity recede into the past, my new place will dictate the terms of my social identity.
Contributing to a Diverse Workplace
At the same time, I will never lose my Chinese appearance, so it will always play a role in my social identity. In this sense, I can contribute to a diverse workplace by representing the Asian population. I am always going to be a representative of China, no matter where I am, because I am Chinese. So I will make certain that I always abide by the ethical standard that I believe in and help to contribute in a meaningful and positive way. In this manner, I hope that my social identity helps others to broaden their perspectives on Chinese people.
Pointing the Way Ahead in My Professional Life
In my personal life, I feel that my social identity will impact my future by giving me the opportunity to pursue my goals. I want to have a home and a family here and for that reason I will have to work hard and obtain a good career. My social identity must reflect the values that companies want in employees. I must therefore not place so much emphasis on values that are not meaningful to companies. Instead, my social identity must reflect the qualities and characteristics that leaders in corporations want to see in workers.
Conclusion
Identity plays a big role in determining how we see ourselves and how others see us. It is shaped by our collective humanity, our background and culture, and our own personality and way that we see ourselves. We present this identity to others who see it consciously and unconsciously and who base their interpretations of our identity on different types of bias, some of which are positive and some of which can be negative. I aim to adapt my social identity so that it reflects the values and skills that are important to companies because I want to have a good career here.
References Banaji, M. R., Bazerman, M. H., & Chugh, D. (2003). How (un) ethical are you?. Harvard business review, 81(12), 56-64. Davidson, M. (2002). Primer on social identity: Understanding group membership. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. Hofstede, G., 1984. Cultural dimensions in management and planning. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 1(2), pp.81-99.