Rotha

Rotha, 30's
Adelaide, Australia
she/her

Current Role: Teacher

What racial, ethnic, cultural community or communities do you identify with?
Cambodian/Australian.

When and how did your family come to the United States? Where were you born?
1985 to Australia. Born [in] Thailand.

What are the strengths and challenges of being Asian, Asian American, and/or Pacific Islander?
Challenges:
- Pressure from family to do well, as they made sacrifices for you to have better opportunities. 
- Clashes between Asian and Western cultural identity. Expectations at home what  "a good Asian daughter" does vs expectations of an independent woman in western society. It .can be very stressful swapping between  the 2. Also, trying to explain to parents who never grew up in western culture. 
- When I was younger, the need to fit in at school and to be what I thought "being normal" meant.

Strengths:
- My parents (war survivors) made sure I was aware of how lucky I was, to live in a country where we had so much more freedom. They taught me to be grateful for all the small things in life that others took for granted.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Being the first person in my entire family to graduate from university (College-USA).

What is one thing you learned or appreciate from your family growing up?
My parents' work ethic. Seeing how hard my parents worked each day to provide for the family, buy a house, buy a car, and put us through school. They taught me that if I put in the work, the rewards will follow. 

Do you speak your family's native language? Why or why not?
Yes, but it's a little trickier now as I communicate more with my parents in broken English.

What advice do you have for the younger generations in our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander community?
Embrace the cultures that you are blessed to be a part of and don't let anyone make you feel ashamed of any of them. 

What gives you the greatest joy in life?
Spending time with my wonderful family and friends. 

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