Jennifer Fernandes, 13

Jennifer Fernandes, 13

My life has been affected due to stereotypes involving my race because people have assumed my intelligence and successes have come from the fact that I live in an Indian household and I have "tiger parents", which is not only offensive to me but also my family. Additionally, people pinpointed that I did well in school because I wanted to follow the common Indian stereotype of becoming a doctor, even when I was younger and didn't know what career I wanted to follow. Furthermore, people have assumed my religion based on my race. One of my classmates got thoroughly confused about my religion even after I explained it in a cultural presentation beforehand because he was so convinced that every brown person must be Hindu. These stereotypes have undervalued my accomplishments and have shown truly how ignorant some people are, yet I have to be quiet to "keep the peace". Stereotypes are outrageous devolve advancement in society.