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Ever feel like you didn’t quite belong?
That’s been the story of my life.
My mom is Chinese. My dad is Czechoslovakian. I’m half-n-half, mixed. Not fully one or the other.
At grade school, my brother and I were the only Asian kids in our Midwestern neighbourhood.
In high school, I moved to the Netherlands—loved the experience. But I always felt like I was visiting, not at home.
In college, I was one of the few women in my chemical engineering program.
Even when I attended Asian ERG events at work—I questioned if I should be there.
I wasn’t 100% Asian and I didn’t grow up fully in Asian culture. I didn’t feel like I was “Asian enough”.
When you’ve never met anyone like you…
It’s hard to feel like you fit.
“True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”
But I’ve learned this:
✅ You don’t have to fit in to belong
✅ You don’t have to look the same to be respected
✅ You don’t have to change who you are to succeed
You just have to own who you are.
That’s when things shift.
Belonging doesn’t come from the room.
It starts inside you.
“True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”
Brené Brown
American Profesor, Podcaster and Author
