BIO
Born in Shenzhen, China, in 2001, Wanqi Yuan is a current senior at Rice University studying civil engineering. Her family immigrated to the US when she was five and settled in Orlando, Florida, where her parents worked long hours in the food industry. As a result, some of Yuan’s fondest memories with her parents occurred late at night—talking, eating, or playing cards. However, she also describes the difficulties of growing up too fast in an immigrant household and learning to be self-sufficient at a young age. For instance, Yuan helped out with insurance, doctor’s appointments, parent-teacher conferences, and anything else that needed translating. She also describes feeling hyper-aware of subtle racism that her parents could not sense due to language and cultural barriers and the desire to protect her parents in that regard. Despite these difficulties, Yuan does not regret her upbringing but rather appreciates it for forging her into the independent, assertive person she is today. She is also deeply grateful and cognizant of the sacrifices her parents have made and hopes they will live in stability, ease, and happiness. This interview was conducted as part of an independent project about ways in which Chinese American immigrant parents express love toward their children. Thus, it is not a standard full-length oral history interview but rather focuses on Yuan’s relationship and memories with her parents.