Me......

My name is Cynthia Phan. I am 20 years old and always get mistaken for a Chinese girl because apparently all people say Asian are Chinese and that I look like I’m Chinese. I am Mien, a hill tribe that is from Laos and Thailand. My parents are from Laos, I was born here in Oakland, California on January 6, 1990. I lived here in Oakland for all my life with both of my parents, siblings, and relatives all around the bay. I have a very big family where I am the youngest of seven children, four brothers and two sisters. I am very close to my family. Being the youngest of the family meant that I was spoil and get what I want, but that was not the case I would always have to help my parents with translation, filling out forms, and more. In a way they depended on me to help them, but I depend on them the most to provide for me to be where I am today. I have graduated from Oakland Senior high school in the school of 2008 and attended University of California for a year, but now I am here at College of Alameda. I’m proud of myself for getting this far and I know that my parents are too.
As I was growing up I wasn’t always the smart or perfect daughter, sister or student because I’m from a low income family where I have to share things with my older siblings and cousins because I was not privilege like other families that are high class or middle class that gets what they want. I have always had work my hardest on everything to be successful and get a higher education so that I would not have to struggle as much as while I was growing up. Many of my family members including myself had gone through some kind of hardship to get to where we are now. I grew up not getting help from my parents on school assignments or anything else that involves English. Both of my parents weren’t as lucky as I was because back in the days they had to do farm work to survive and get through life making it harder for them to be educated. Even though, they weren’t educated, but they are still very supportive and is always there for me and my siblings.