Dakotah’s Journal

I really couldn’t tell you what thesis brainstorming is because I wasn’t there Wednesday, but I’m just gonna write some key points that’ll appear in my essay.

My academic goals are to go to medical school and to (maybe) have published research. Career-wise, overall, it would be becoming a surgeon, but being a regular cardiologist would do, I guess.
There are really no doctors in the family, so I guess there was really no push from my family to go into the medical field. I’ve always loved helping people, which my mom has taught me to do, so if anything, that has contributed a lot to my goals.
I was never told what I should be, and was told to just do something that would make me happy, so I guess you can pretty well guess my race and economic status. A lot of my family has gone to college, and some has not, and both sides have all ended up successful. Either way, my family values hard work, so I guess their success comes from that.
The field of surgery (all medicine really) is male-dominated, so any social bump I face will be from that, I assume.
I’m pretty privileged that my gender is the only aspect that may be discriminated against while pursing my career.

There were many connections between Paper Tigers and From Between the World and Me. These included similarities of how students of color are treated in the school system by both their students and peers, and the pressure they face from their parents to have a better chance at life and wealth than they did. After synthesizing these two essays, I come to the conclusion that students of color have a difficult time attempting to adapt to a system that is built for white people in all aspects of education, social relationships, and opportunity.

From Paper Tigers and From Between the World and Me, the lines that stuck with me most were, respectively,

“There is something salutary in that proud defiance.” and

“Educated children never offered excuses- certainly not childhood itself.”

The quote from Paper Tigers stood out to me because it is a good summary of the point of the reading. That Asian people are upheld to such a prestigious standard by themselves, their parents, and their peers, and, as in the reading, there are Asian people who feel like they’ve failed their parents by owning a restaurant and not becoming a doctor or lawyer.

The quote from From Between the World and Me stood out to me because students, especially students of color, are expected to grow up years beyond their age to be considered educated.  Complacency is not seen as weak-willed, but as respect, obedience, and intelligence. If a group of 12 year olds are being loud and rowdy during class, they are seen as disrespectful and unintelligent. They aren’t seen as what they are: 12 year old children.

 

I want to get my degree in biology, with a minor in biochemistry on the pre-med track. Over my four years here, I want to be able to involve myself in research and clubs that I can continue to be apart of for all four years. Hopefully, I’m able to make the dean’s list more often than not. I want to be able to make some friends and establish connections with people who will be able to help me further my step into my career. I’m hoping to become more skilled in discipline, time management, and stamina. Along with this, I’m hoping to learn some of the more crucial aspects of being an adult.

Welcome to Texas State Web Pages. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!