It's a very well known fact among my friends, family, and others around me that I am Asian, to be more specific, Chinese. I, however, was adopted, but being adopted has not stopped people from labeling me before they got to know me. They know what the media and/or others have portrayed Asians to be.

Some people only know stereotypes because that is what they were exposed to growing up, or they truly believe in those things to the reality we live in. They've never truly had to interact people that weren't Black, White or Hispanic.

Asians have always been prematurely labeled. Whether it be that they're bad drivers, that they all know and practice karate, that they inhale rice like ti's oxygen (as if they're the only ethnicity that eats rice), or that they're superior at math, the labels have always been there.

Throughout my life, I've heard all of these and some become a running joke as if repeating the joke would someday make it true.

Recently, I was with a group of friends when a random person referred to me as "Ching" completely bypassing his ability to ask me for my name. Not only was I offended but also extremely uncomfortable. I immediately removed myself from the situation.

Ever since this encounter, I have been reminded that not everyone will accept my race as others do. I, however, see it as a lesson to myself. Someone may see me as just the premonitions that they've already formed, but I know I'm much more.

In the two seconds that this boy called me "Ching" he missed out on the opportunity to get to know a person that loves animals, eats too much pasta, sleeps like there's no tomorrow, and a person that is capable of forgiving him for this indiscretion.

I can forgive him because I know that he is the one losing out. By keeping his mind in that small space, he's closing doors to the people around him, missing out on what might be life-changing relationships.

While it is important for him to learn that his ways are not correct, I believe it is more important for me to know that I am not what he sees me as. I am not what anyone tries to label me as. I am more than one simple, negative word.