The foreigner
Another letter I got was written in Korean. When I first saw it, I wasn’t sure what it was, but then quickly guessed its from the only Asian in attendance at my farewell party ;) Luckily, some of my cousin-in-laws are Korean and so I sent them a snapshot of the letter in hopes that they can translate it better for me than using an online translator.
When I received the translation, I was touched. I remember him as a happy, kind, and smart person. I remember interviewing him before and gave my vote of yes, not because he’s asian, not because we needed another diversity hire, but because he did well in the interview, he was able to prove his skills, he was awesome, and I saw his potential. He was not only a good fit but will also be a good add to the QA department and the company. And even though he was in a different team, I was glad to be able to interact with him during some team building activities and socially, and still see how he’s doing workwise.
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But what struck me the most is how he saw in me first hand the possibility of climbing up the ladder in corporate America, as an foreigner. It is a fact that Asian Americans are stereotyped as model minorities, among other barriers, which usually cause us to be left out when breaking through glass ceilings and discrimination in the workplace are being talked about, and hinders Asian Americans, especially Asian American women, from ascending the corporate ladder. There are researches and reports that show that Asian Americans are the racial group that’s least likely than any other race, including Blacks and Hispanics to be promoted to manager and other leadership positions. There’s even studies that showed Asian women were the least likely to be viewed as leaders and most likely to be fetishized. There’s also the idea that Asian women are more quiet and don’t push back, and though some advances in their career, they still feel like outsiders. Its a very stressful situation and a constant battle for one’s mental health, to be working so hard to advance in one’s career, and reach it only to still feel its never enough and you don’t deserve it.
I’ve experienced being discriminated, not being credited for the work I’ve done, being overlooked for promotions because someone else has a flowery mouth or is part of the boy’s club while I kept my head down, being harassed and abused at the workplace where I was among the few female employees and the only Asian woman, and many other negative experiences. But then, there are also those who saw and valued my contributions, who appreciated and believed in me, and spoke for me in my behalf. I managed to become a manager eventually because of these good people who supported me. And I didn’t fail them. I was told that I was among the best managers in the company and my QA team is among the best too, if not the best ;) I was grateful for the opportunity and continued to do my best despite more struggles along the way.
I am glad that through me, he knew that us foreigners, or immigrants, can climb the ladder. It may take longer, it may be really hard with so many barriers even as you climb, but it can happen. I’ve had my ups and down, and I was always a leader even when I didn’t have the title. But I’m back on my feet and climbing again.
