At a young age, I knew I had to live within the standards of my race. I knew I had to be smart and excel in school to make my family proud. I succeeded for a while in elementary and middle school. However, my focus on intelligence hindered me from having close friends and better communication skills. In high school, I could not handle my academic challenges and felt paralyzed. My personal and academic obstacles looked like boulders that couldn’t be moved. During high school and college, I did not have the tools I needed to achieve my goals. Up until now, I did not realize that I was stuck on the destination of my journey and the things I disliked instead of my progress and being more kind to myself. My journey has and still is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and growth as an Asian American woman in Mississippi. I realize that I made my ethnicity and its aspects as my whole identity rather than a part of me. As a result, I did not explore my identity and care for my mental health. I know now that my identity is not just my race. I am an Asian American woman who wants to shoot for the stars and believe that anything is possible. I am an Asian American woman who wants to inspire others and excel in everything, including academics. I am an Asian American woman who wants to be accepted and loved for who she is. I hope my story can help someone out there with their journey of race and identity. I want to give one piece of advice before I go: Explore who you are while you love with all your heart and hold nothing back.