[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The stereotype that all students of Asian descent go into the sciences is not as true as one may think.
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Vatsana Nikki Sithivong, a sophomore in multidisciplinary design and a student of Asian ethnicity, defies the stigma.
“It’s degrading thinking that only Asians go into science and medicine because anyone can do it if they want to,” Sithivong said. “I certainly don’t fit this stereotype.”
The U’s statistics don’t fit this either. For Fall Semester 2011, 75 of 1,119 undergraduates of Asian descent were declared biology majors, according to the U’s Office of Budget and Institutional Analysis (OBIA). And for Fall Semester 2014, only 64 of 1,242 were. This compares to 426 of 17,478 and 551 of 16,079 white students of in that major, respectively. These numbers are proportionate in math and engineering majors, as well.
Sithivong said the stereotype began for her in elementary school. When she did not excel in math and science, she felt ashamed. But her parents encouraged her to find her passion, and she worked hard to improve.
“If there is something you love to do, you can always make it work when it comes to a diverse education,” she said.
When initially deciding her major, Sithivong was looking at computer engineering, business marketing and strategic communications. She liked how multidisciplinary design combined those fields and how it wasn’t typical for her racial background. According to the OBIA, for Fall Semester 2014, just two of 27 design majors were of Asian descent.
“Maybe I’ll fit into the stereotype and go into science or medicine,” Sithivong said. “But it won’t be because I’m Asian. It’ll be because I have a love for it.”
Bobby Luangaphay, a marketing major and another student of Asian descent, said it’s more about creativity.
“I feel like the most common stereotype for Asians is that they’re always college-bound and good at math,” he said, “so it’s assumed they’re going to get into something heavily involving numbers.”
Luangaphay is good with math, and his family would like to see him go into accounting, but he prefers to have creative control. For him that means being a successful director of a company.
For Fall Semester 2014, according to OBIA, nine of 96 marketing students were of Asian descent. Luangaphay believes marketing will help him find a career he’ll be happy in instead of one he’s stereotyped to be good at.
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