Growing up in a military family, the concept of “home” was something I never had. I am an American Filipina, who grew up in Germany, and is currently living in Hawaii. Living in each place, I never felt like I truly belonged. I always felt too Asian to be American. Around my distant family, I felt too American to be considered Filipino. When I first moved to Hawaii, I felt too westernized to be Asian. I hated stereotypes and sought to pervade them in any way I could. In retrospect, I love the experiences that made up my identity. My sense of identity has been a challenge for me, but is becoming stronger as I become more aware of myself, my environment, and my culture. It is important to understand that our identity is ever-changing, as the culture around us is constantly evolving. While we are born into our identity in some ways, we also have the ability to choose to embrace the aspects of our changing identity that make us feel most comfortable in our skin, our community, and our culture. I have completed a study that allowed me to explore and understand my own personal sense of belonging and how that impacts my teaching. This study had four main goals: (1) to understand my Filipina identity, (2) to understand my Asian American identity, (3) to explore how this influences my practice, and (4) to empower all the multicultural identities in my classroom.

STEMS² Pillars: Sense of Place