For nine years, the Brookline Asian American Family Network essay contest asked “What does it mean to be Asian American?”
This year, co-chairs Susan Park and Giles Li asked a new question of the young writers.
They wanted to know the gifts — or “superpowers” — students learn as Asian Americans.
Brookline high schoolers read aloud their answers on Wednesday at the 10th annual BAAFN essay contest.
“Having read all of the submitted essays… I can say that I think our Asian American community in Brookline does have a superpower,” Li said at the event. “Our incredible imagination.”
30 students submitted essays and the judges selected five winners. The students shared stories about cooking with family, travel experiences and times they felt ostracized and uncertain. And they focused on the fine-tuned abilities and creativity they formed from diverse experiences and heritages.
Hannah Goodwin, a junior, won the BAAFN award for her essay “Grounded in Change,” which centered on her learned capacity to adapt and fold into the background. The skill has made her empathetic, observant and capable, she said
“My ability to adapt does not mean I am lost,” she wrote. “It means I can find home in many places.”
Senior Amarjot Ranu-Lavediere, who won the content award, wrote of similar feelings surrounding the power of listening in “A Silent Language.”
“Trying to learn about my family, bridging cultural and generational barriers, I discovered the power that listening intently holds,” she said. “Instead of finding connection through using my own voice, I found it through hearing others in my life, listening… to other people has opened the door to a world greater than my own.”
William Xuan, also a junior, won the creativity award for “How Transforming Colors Became My Asian Superpower.” Xuan wrote about visceral feelings and vivid colors that accompany him as he navigates the world. They have pushed him to find and appreciate community.
“Being Asian American inspired me to step forward, forge connections and view the world from new and inspiring perspectives,” he said. “Being Asian is like a [fourth] primary color, which together can create endless hues… Each shade represents a new opportunity to develop one’s identity.”
Ira Chan, a former school committee member, started the contest in 2016 after he noticed a lack of diversity in the Brookline High School awards. Even though people of Asian heritage at the time made up 16% of the total town population, there were no awards targeted for Asian American students.
As the annual contest continued, it gained fans, including Hsiu-Lan Chang, who chaired the contest for six years. The students’ experiences were eye-opening for Chang, who was born in Hong Kong.
“I have two boys, and I’m a single mother, and I thought, “Did my kids have to go through this? And they never talked to me about it,” Chang said in a documentary produced by Miles Leong to celebrate a decade of the contest.
This year, BAAFN recognized two students with new awards honoring Chang. She hopes students demonstrate and inspire “courage, determination, resilience and grace under life’s pressure.”
Ellie Hong, a junior, and Annie Shi, a sophomore, won the awards with their essays “Contrails” and “The Birthday Notebook.” Hong detailed the tenacity and resilience of her family. Shi wrote about her ability to find value in experiences and connections instead of items.
Chang’s early enthusiasm spread to people like John Hodgman, a long-time sponsor and judge of the contest. The first round of essays he read sealed his commitment to the event.
“I said, ‘My goodness. [Brookline] doesn’t understand the challenges these really wonderful young people were going through,’” he said.
BAAFN was formed to help Asian American students and their families in the school system, but their events are for everyone, Park said. She was moved by Select Board Chair Bernard Greene last year who said that everyone can get something out of the event.
“We all need more acceptance and empathy and kindness towards each other, and when we put on these programs that allow students and the community to express themselves… I’m just really happy and proud to be part of anything like that,” Park said.