I'd like to start off by saying that I am beyond proud of my heritage, both biological and adoptive. I was born in Seoul, South Korea to a very young mother and father, who would end up placing me in foster care in order to get adopted by a family that would be able to provide a better life for me. By the age of six months, I was adopted by an amazing couple who lived in Penfield, NY. I grew up like many other children, showered with love and affection, and eventually, a younger brother who was also adopted from South Korea joined my family.

Growing up, I was obsessed with Mulan. She was and still is my favorite Disney character. According to stories from my mom and dad, I became fascinated with this Asian chef on TV. Both my parents swear that when he would come on, I would roll myself as close to the television as I could, and I would follow every move that the man on the TV made. It wasn't really until about five or six years ago that I realized why I really liked Mulan or the TV chef. There weren't many Asian people on TV or in different types of media. I didn't see many people that were like me. Not for lack of trying on my parents part. They encouraged me to go learn Korean, and they were always supportive of what I wanted. However, growing up in a small town like Penfield doesn't really cultivate the chance to meet many different types of people. When I went to elementary school, there were two other Asian-American children in my grade. In middle and high school, the numbers grew, but it was still a pretty small population.

There weren't many actors that were Asian on television or starring in movies. To be quite honest, I have started watching shows that I know are more culturally diverse, Quantico and Shadowhunters are a great example of amazing shows with very diverse casts. By chance when there was someone of Asian descent, they were usually stuck into some obnoxious stereotype, like the "very intelligent nerd/sidekick" or the "over-sexualized Asian woman." It's something that so many people face, but until you experience it yourself, it doesn't really hold a meaning. Stereotypes are the worst.

Unfortunately growing up, and even now, I've been stereotyped by so many people. I can't count the number of times that someone said, "She's Asian, so she has to be smart. Ask her." The one thing that got me the angriest was when I would hear someone say, "It doesn't matter. All Asian people look the same." Even typing that now, I get livid. Each region in Asia has its own unique history and look. Do not ever lump us all together. We are all unique and have our own personalities. It gets to be redundant, and frankly, it's just in poor taste to stereotype people based on their ethnicities and appearance. This is an issue that only seems to be getting worse.

Media plays a huge role in today's world. Children, teens and even adults look to Hollywood and the media to tell them how to look and how to act. It's so unfortunate that there aren't many Asian role models for you children to look up to. It has been that way for a long time. There aren't male Asian leads in action or romantic comedy movies, nor are there many female Asian leads in movies or television shows. I would love to see Harry Shum Jr., John Cho, or Lucy Liu as a lead in a romantic comedy. They would be amazing, despite what many people think.

Honestly, even in today's media there still are not a huge amount of Asian-American people. Even when a role is supposed to be Asian, half of the time, Hollywood decides to cast a white person in the role. Don't even mention the poor casting that happened in "Aloha", or in the upcoming movie "Ghost in the Shell." I personally love Emma Stone and Scarlett Johannson. They are both incredibly talented and dedicated actors, but I firmly believe that their casting in these movies is ridiculous.

It's only very recently that Asian-American actors are beginning to speak up and finally get the attention that they deserve. Recently one of the most outspoken Asian actors has been Constance Wu. She is confident enough to tell the truth. There have been many stars that have been trying to bring this to the spotlight: George Takei, Daniel Dae Kim, BD Wong, Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh and countless others.

I don't want to sound ungrateful because I have had chances and experiences that many people might not get in their lives. Unfortunately, the issue of race is extremely prevalent in the world. My plight is not more important than anyone else's. But finally, it is coming to people's attention.