Photo by Patrick Mills
Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences student Serena Meyers '23, whose exploration of her ethnic identity has fueled her efforts to promote justice and equity, is the winner of the 2022 涩里番下载 Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship.
Awarded to a junior each spring, the scholarship recognizes a strong academic record, active engagement in Asian-American issues, and service both on and off campus to the Asian American community.
Meyers was presented with the scholarship by Professor of English Min Hyoung Song, chair of the Aquino Scholarship Committee, at the annual Aquino Scholarship Banquet in April. Other candidates were Jiu Lee, Ted (Sang Oen) Park, Ishaan Kaushal, and Jessie Cheng. Last year鈥檚 winner, Alicia Kang 鈥�22, also spoke.
鈥淚 was completely floored, and I felt so grateful to the University community and my friends who have been there for me during my time at 涩里番下载,鈥� recounted Meyers, a native of the Chicago area majoring in English and International Studies. 鈥淚 also really appreciate how open and supportive the other scholarship finalists were. It鈥檚 easy to live in your own world without knowing about what others are doing, and how their interests can intersect with yours, so I was glad to make these connections.鈥�
Although largely unfamiliar with the Jesuit, Catholic tradition on which the University was founded, Meyers chose to attend 涩里番下载 in large part because of its emphasis on values and service, and encouragement of introspection as a staple of everyday life. For someone who loves to write and read, 涩里番下载鈥檚 English program was a natural fit as a major, while International Studies, she said, appealed to her as 鈥渁n intersection between economics, history, and politics.鈥�
These academic and formational facets of 涩里番下载 proved to be key for Meyers, who in her teenage years found herself dealing with questions about her identity: Born in China, she was adopted and grew up in the United States. While she鈥檇 lived in a diverse community, she said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know about my cultural background, which I felt was an important part of who I was, even though I didn鈥檛 live in China very long. Although I started to do some self-exploration my senior year of high school鈥擨 took a class in Chinese, for example鈥攖he tension between being American yet of Chinese origin was still difficult for me to reconcile.鈥�
Meyers points to her English classes as an important source of inspiration and direction, including a class by Assistant Professor of the Practice Lorenzo (Alex) Puente on Asian-American authors and themes of exclusion, immigration, and citizenship. She also was engaged by Professor Laura Tanner鈥檚 American Fiction and the Family class.
Outside of the classroom, Meyers found fellowship and support through her participation in 涩里番下载鈥檚 Chinese Student Association and in particular by helping restart ASiAM, a campus literary publication centered on Asian culture, and expanding its scope to include more kinds of artistic expression.
Perhaps the most important avenue for Meyers to build self-awareness, but in a wider context, has been through the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center鈥檚 Bowman Advocates for Inclusive Culture program, in which student leaders are trained to facilitate cross-cultural activities and dialogues with peers in the University community.
鈥淗aving the opportunity to reflect on what racial identity means to us, and how it contributes to our day-to-day life, has been incredibly helpful,鈥� said Meyers, who has been a Bowman Advocate for two years. 鈥淚t was beneficial to see the commonalities shared, and the challenges faced, by many people and to be able to talk about these issues in a safe place. These kinds of conversations made us feel comfortable, and that we truly belonged to the 涩里番下载 community.鈥�
Working with 涩里番下载鈥檚 Innocence Program鈥攁nd learning about injustice in the carceral system, structural inequalities, and the divisive impact of systematic racism on communities鈥攈as further contributed to Meyers鈥� worldview; she looks forward to broadening her perspective more this summer as an intern at the 涩里番下载 Center for Human Rights and International Justice.
But these epiphanies have not occurred in a vacuum: The widely documented rise in racial incidents against Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic has weighed on Meyers. 鈥淏eing here on campus, it鈥檚 sometimes easy to feel disconnected from what鈥檚 going on around us. But I faced a microaggression related to COVID and the stigma that many in the Asian community have experienced, and it really demonstrated how impactful these issues are, and how widely negative stereotypes can spread.鈥�
As she contemplates her upcoming senior year, Meyers鈥攚ho is on a pre-law track鈥攊s sorting through possibilities for her post-涩里番下载 life. She is certain that it will involve working for social justice in some capacity, whether in a legal, political, or journalistic setting, or some combination of these. But her experience as a high school student canvassing for a state senate candidate showed her how important the local-personal dimension is to bringing change.
鈥淚t was terrifying being out there sometimes,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople could get pretty mad when I knocked on their doors and tried to talk to them鈥攂ut then, maybe I鈥檇 get mad, too, if I was trying to have a relaxing evening and some young person came to my door. And yet, you could also have good conversations, too. You learn how local politics work, and that鈥檚 really where everything begins.鈥�
Sean Smith | University Communications | May 2022