ACUMEN March 15, 2018: The Melting Pot by Carmel Acumen

The Melting Pot Volume XIV Issue III

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dearest Reader, The fundamental idea that laid the foundation for the creation of the United States of America was its identity as a place of refuge. At its core, the nation symbolized a beacon of hope for those being persecuted or suffering around the globe. America grew into its role as a safe haven, welcoming people from every walk of life. As people from different countries speaking all different languages poured in, America truly embraced its identity as a melting pot. The diversity found here in the United States is unparalleled to any other country, a true testament to the character and history of the nation. As we move into the future, it is important to look around and see just how much this country has grown and learned from its fundamental identity as a place of refuge, hope and opportunity for all. - Alina Husain, editor-in-chief

KOREAN POP

Here is a closer look at the characteristics that make Korean Pop (K-Pop) popular all around the world Personality K-Pop is known for its unique and eyepopping personalities. K-Pop idols have a knack for standing out from the crowd and taking self-expression to a new level

Fashion K-Pop artists bring a new meaning to fashion. K-Pop idols avoid shying away from making a splash, and have a decidedly unique way of interpreting current trends

Multicultural K-Pop music videos and performances appeal to all cultures regardless of religion or ethinicity because of their incorporation of worldwide styles into a Korean foundation

Korean Pop History American missionary Henry Appenzeller introduces American and British folk music at a school in Korea

1885 SOURCES // HUFFINGTON POST, BILLBOARD, TIME TOAST

Korean Pop gains international recognition with the Korean group known as The Kim Sisters

1925 The first known Korean Pop album by Park Chae-seon and Lee Ryu-saek was released

1953

Cho Yong-pil becomes the first Korean to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York

1962

When The Beatles fever reached the shores of Korea, the first local rock bands appeared

1980

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ALINA HUSAIN alinahusain@chsacumen.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Alanna Wu alannawu@chsacumen.com Sam Shi samshi@chsacumen.com COVER ILLUSTRATION: Alina Husain

Interested in designing the cover? Email us!

REPORTERS:

CONTRIBUTORS:

Riya Chinni Anushka Dasgupta Hannah Glazier Tara Kandallu Sameen Siddiqui

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Apurva Manas Shraddha Ramnath

GRAPHICS ARTISTS: Aditya Belamkar Jessica Mo Jai Sanghani Rachael Tan

Lyrics Many K-Pop artists are multilingual, enabling them to implement other Asian languages, as well as English, into their Korean lyrics

Gestures K-Pop artists incorporate unique gestures into their songs and performances as a way to make the song more appealing to the eye

Music Videos K-Pop's appealing music videos further increases its popularity in the US by making performances available online

Costumes & Color K-Pop uses costumes and color in performances purposefully to convey a desired mood. When North America was barely being industrialized, Asia already had a flourishing art and color scene H.O.T, the first male Korean Pop band, successfully turned mainstream music to music made for teenagers

1990s Korean Pop groups began incorporating American music styles like rap, rock and techno

1995

Korean Pop music began spreading to neighboring Asian countries and to Western countries

1997

S.E.S, the first female Korean Pop band, was created

Caitlyn Burns Emily Dexter Julianna Kessilyas Raphael Li Laasya Mamidipalli Hari Patel Heidi Peng Angela Qian Misha Rekhter Marissa Ryan Carson TerBush Christina Yang Brian Zhang Karen Zhang

2000

PSY's 'Gangnam Style' became the most viewed video on YouTube

2007

Several Korean Pop groups such as Girls' Generation make the US Billboard Hot Music

2012 GRAPHIC // HARI PATEL AND BRIAN ZHANG DESIGN // ALINA HUSAIN

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE Cross Cultural Relationships // 8 A deeper look into how students and staff learn from different cultures and the diversity here at CHS

How People Appreciate Different Cultures // 14 A look into why students take time to appreciate and learn about cultures different from their own

Fusion vs. Tradition // 18 Take a look at how fusion of cultures differs from cultural traditions

New Country, New School // 28 Students reflect on the academic transition they faced when they moved from different countries to America

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PHOTO AND DESIGN // ALINA HUSAIN

CONTENT Q & A // 6

Most Stereotypical... // 24

A sit down with student Ava Hutchinson to talk about her plans to study abroad

Students open up about the most stereotypical comments they’ve heard about themselves

Melting Pot Review // 12

Diversity Snapshot // 26

A review of the local fondue restaurant, ‘The Melting Pot’

A graphic overview of diversity in America, Indiana and right here in Carmel

Diversity and Scholarships // 20

The Language Barrier // 30

A look at how scholarships consider diversity and why it’s a factor

Opinion column on the challenges of learning English as an immigrant

Growing Cultural Clubs // 22

The Language Barrier // 31

Students and staff discuss how the number of culture based clubs at CHS have grown over the years

Opinion column on the struggles of not knowing one’s family’s native language

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Q&A

QUESTIONS | TARA KANDALLU PHOTO | CAITLYN BURNS

Ava Hutchison will study abroad this summer with the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages (IUHPFL) in Brest, France

Ava Hutchison, sophomore and French III student, converses with French teacher Madame Kim Manlick. Hutchison said Manlick was the one who first inspired her to develop an obsession with the language, as well as the one who introduced Hutchison to the IUHPFL program.

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MAKING THE CUT

What got you interested in studying abroad? “I would say that first it was my French II teacher, Madame Kim Manlick. I wasn’t a huge fan of French. It was just another class, but I think she really allowed (her students) to see the beauty in speaking another language. Then, over the summer, between freshman and sophomore year, I just found myself thinking in (French) constantly, writing in it constantly and listening to French music. It just took over my life a little bit. I would say that Madame Manlick really got me into French, but I developed an obsession after that.” How did you decide you wanted to join Indiana University Program in Foreign Languages (IUHPFL)? “I heard about IUHPFL through Madame Manlick. She went to this program when she was in high school and it inspired her to go into teaching French. I believe that her daughter did it too. I just remember everybody talking about how it was such a great experience. I have been really interested in going to a university abroad, and I know that the IU Honors (Program in Foreign Languages) would be a great opportunity to learn French and hopefully study the language (at college) or in a graduate school.” How do you think the program will help you further your language skills? “I think it will further my language skills immensely because it is six weeks of pure immersion. I don’t have a phone, and I only get one hour of English per week to email my family. It is just constant, constant French. It’s in the music, with your host family, in school, and it’s all around you all the time. I think that kind of submersion is exactly what it is going to take for fluency in a language.”

In order participate in the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages, Hutchison underwent an extensive application process. Take a look at what this entails.

PRELIMINARY REGISTRATION

Applicants complete an online form and pay a registration fee. Those who are eligible in age and course enrollment are then emailed a link for a more personal application.

PERSONAL APPLICATION

Applicants submit the completed writing samples, along with official school transcripts, a personalized application and recommendation letters.

What are you looking forward to most about studying abroad? “I am looking forward to the bonds and relationships that I will make over the course of the summer. I think that they will be so important. I know that Madame Manlick is still very close to her host family. She is visiting them this summer. Those are the kind of bonds that last forever. I know that I am going (to Brest, France) with a group of other kids that are going to be just as scared as I am, no matter how much we have studied. We are all going to be struggling for the first few weeks, but at least we will have each other. I think that when you build each other’s skills, really work together and improve together, that is something that is powerful and really important. I will probably speak to those people when I am old and have a family. I will remember those people because I know that we went through a lot together. I am just really excited to SEE THE FULL Q&A have those relationships and have those experiences with those people.” AT CHSACUMEN.COM

WRITING SAMPLE

Applicants’ language teachers receive a writing sample worksheet. Under these teachers’ supervision, applicants will then complete the prompt in the given language.

INTERVIEWS

If their personal applications are deemed acceptable, applicants are invited to participate in an interview. Otherwise, they are either waitlisted or declined.

ACCEPTANCE GRAPHIC AND DESIGN // ALANNA WU SOURCE // IUHPFL.INDIANA.EDU

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THE MAKING OF A MELTING POT Students, staff reflect on diversity at CHS, implications of forming cross-cultural relationships

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WORDS | ALANNA WU PHOTO | CHRISTINA YANG

anial Tajwer, ethnic Pakistani and junior, said he made concerted efforts to expand his knowledge of different cultures around the world. Not only is Tajwer an officer of Muslim Student Association and Model U.N. and a Spanish IV student, but he is also fluent in seven different languages including Spanish, Italian, French and Urdu. In addition, he has become well-acquainted with their respective cultures and current events. Tajwer said his familiarity with different countries and cultures across the globe, as well as his status as a member of the Pakistani minority at CHS, has allowed him to appreciate the diversity within the student body. “The interesting part about CHS is that it has so many people of different ethnic groups. A lot of times, people can interact within their ethnic groups and feel comfortable; I do see that a lot of Arabs stick with each other,” Tajwer said. “But (I have also seen) a lot of intermixing between people of different (ethnic) groups, so at the same time we’re all part of one big student body.” According to Public School Review, CHS has a minority enrollment of 21 percent of the student body as well as a “diversity score” of 0.36. This means that any two randomly selected CHS students have a 36 percent chance of being from different ethnic backgrounds. Compared with the

national average of 0.31 and state-wide average of 0.27, this illustrates the aboveaverage diversity within CHS. In this context, it seems Tajwer is correct in that intermingling between different ethnic groups will inevitably occur. Yet this is not always the case: Spanish teacher Kay Vazquez said she understands why certain minority groups may congregate with one another rather than intermingling due to her experience as a foreigner living in Germany for eight years. “I thoroughly enjoyed my friends from different countries, but sometimes we (Americans) had that common connection in maybe a holiday or just what we were homesick for,” Vazquez said. “I think that’s always going to happen a little bit because what you’re most familiar with is what you’re most comfortable with.” However, Vazquez said she believes this can be dangerous if students begin to develop a narrowminded outlook on other minorities. “I don’t think (staying within a minority group) is always negative, but it can be if you’re not open to others around you and think that your way is the best way and that (it) is the only way it should be,” Vazquez said. Andrea Yocum, world language department chairperson, said that is the reason why world language teachers, as well as CHS teachers in

percent of CHS students are Asian

4 percent of CHS students are African American

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Species Diversity is a calculation of species richness and relative abundance

DEMOGRAPHY OF CHS

Take a look at the demographics within the CHS student body If CHS consisted of 100 students:

78 of them would be Caucasian

10 would be Asian

4 would be biracial

4 would be African American

3 would be Hispanic

1 would consist of other ethnicities

GRAPHIC // BRIAN ZHANG SOURCE // USNEWS.COM

general, make efforts to promote intermingling in the classroom. “Within our classes in the world language department, we make a very distinct effort to make everyone feel comfortable,” Yocum said. “Our job as teachers is to make sure that every student has a chance to intermingle: to work with, to get to know every other student in that class.” Tajwer said, although he believes crosscultural friendships and other relationships can usually occur naturally and with ease, CHS students should note they come with their own obstacles. “Generally things do work out well because you’re all growing up in the same place and have a lot of things in common; it’s sort of the small things. Maybe the parental culture we grew up in, the different values our parents may have instilled in us, leads to—I wouldn’t say difficulties or challenges—(but how) we perceive things in different lights.”

Vazquez shares a similar view, and said cross-cultural relationships will usually require adjustments in one’s way of thinking. In addition, Vazquez said it is important In biology, for CHS students to begin forming crossspecies diversity is a cultural relationships now, because the more calculation of cross-cultural relationships students form, species the easierrichness it will be for them to recognize andto their own culture, as well what is unique relative abundance as accept what is unique in others’. and can be represented “We are all by more alike than we are different, the Shannon but somediversity of those little cultural things that index (H).in your childhood, you don’t were embedded realize sometimes that they come up, and it’s For Carmel High School, like, ‘Why do I think that?’ or ‘Why do I H = 0.833 do that?’ And the more experience you have outside of your own family and community, while for total enrollment (theinmore) you see things from the outside US schools, lookingHin,” Vazquez said. = 1.287 Tajwer said he personally believes crosscultural within the student So inrelationships general, are important CHS isbody less diverse than because they will have implications beyond just high school. In fact, other schools. Tajwer said, increased diversity within this generation as a whole may result in a completely different social mindset in the future. “I do think overall, not only because of the diversity, but because our generation is exposed to a lot of people from different backgrounds, our generation is heading towards being more understanding and accepting of other people no matter where they come from,” Tajwer said. Yocum reflected these views, and said she is optimistic that the diversity within the current generation of students at CHS will change the trend towards xenophobia in the current political climate. “It’s palpable since President Trump was elected; a lot of people are very anxious, a lot of people a very nervous,” Yocum said. “(However), I as an adult, do not fear the future. I have nothing but the utmost faith for the future because you guys are our future. You all, as adolescents, are so open to the idea of people’s differences, more so than—and I’ve been teaching now for 20 years—any class that I’ve ever worked with. And I have so A much hope for that.”

THE MELTING POT | 11 DESIGN // ALANNA WU GRAPHIC // SAMEEN SIDDIQUI

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD Oftentimes members of an ethnicity are drawn to each other due to shared experiences and values, such as holiday traditions. Take a look at how different cultures celebrate similar holidays. FOOD

PHILIPPINES

ICELAND

PORTUGAL

TRADITIONS

Made of boiled potatoes, codfish and eggs, the traditional Christmas meal in Portugal is called consoada.

Parents secretly put a baby Jesus in the nativity scene and set gifts out for the children before they leave for services.

A specialty of Yule meals is Laufabrauno, which is a thin sheet of dough cut into a pattern.

Fabled “Icelandic Yule Lads” that live in the mountains come to town and leave gifts in childrens’ shoes.

“Parol,” a bamboo pole or frame with a lighted star lantern on it, represents the star that guided the Wise Men.

Christmas

MEXICO El Día De Los Muertos Oct. 31- Nov. 2 Similiar to Halloween, but has a different significance. It’s a day to commemorate and honor the dead.

Bibingka

Puto bumbong

Some traditional Christmas foods are bibingka and puto bumbong, which are a form of rice cakes.

Halloween UNITED KINGDOM CHINA

Guy Fawkes Day

Lantern Festival

Nov. 5

14th night of the seventh lunar month

Similar traditions to Halloween, but technically celebrates the failure of the plot to blow up the English Parliament.

Holiday wherein families release lanterns to light the way for the spirits.

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A Fondue Delight THE MELTING POT

5650 E 86TH ST A, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46250

OUR RATING:

WORDS | ALANNA WU PHOTOS | SAM SHI

fter hearing about The Melting Pot fondue restaurant from peers who either hail it as a brilliant restaurant complete with delicious food or criticize it as an overpriced scam not worth the experience, it was time to determine the truth. In order to do this, I stopped by with fellow staff member Sam Shi and experienced The Melting Pot firsthand. Although the price was admittedly a little high, Melting Pot enthusiasts are not alone in their opinion: with a wide variety of cheese and chocolate fondues, as well as oils in which diners can cook their own meals, The Melting Pot promises a unique and interactive dining experience. Right off the bat, there were a few minor problems when we were making reservations. A server originally said the restaurant was booked for the entire day except for one open table at noon. Upon arrival, it appeared all but four tables were actually empty. Although this certainly isn’t a major issue with the service at the restaurant (the servers were all quite friendly and attentive), just consider this a fair warning: although making a reservation ahead of time is always a good idea, it may be beneficial to try walk-in dining if all spots are listed as “full.” Otherwise, the experience was great. The plain exterior of the restaurant presented some concerns that the place would be boring, but the interior of the restaurant was surprisingly attractive.

It had a clean layout, with traditional tables in a large open room and booths secluded off to the side, making the location an excellent candidate for a date spot or just a fun night out with friends. Based off the server’s recommendation, we ordered the Wisconsin Cheddar cheese fondue and the Yin Yang chocolate fondue, both of which came with an array of fruit and vegetables, bread cubes and baked goods. Because of the fondue’s high price point, the reason to go to this place is for the experience, not the food itself. The fondue could easily be replicated at home for a significantly lower price, whereas the atmosphere and sense of novelty within the restaurant would be much harder to recreate. So, if ambience is the reason for eating out, The Melting Pot is the place to go. If not, save the money and have a nice, cheap, homemade fondue at home. A

Wisconsin Cheddar, the most popular of the Melting Pot’s cheese fondues, melts off of a soft piece of bread. While the warm cheese provided a burst of flavor to combat the bread’s blandness. we later deemed the bread to be undercooked.

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(TOP RIGHT) There was a wide array of dippers (snacks to be dipped in fondue) for the chocolate fondue, including marshmallows, strawberries and pineapples. Pineapple remained an eccentric, completely new experience, with a fruity tang combined with the sweetness of chocolate. (BOTTOM RIGHT) The chocolate fondue which engulfs the pictured strawberry is the Yin Yang: a mixture of white and dark chocolate. The addition of strawberry and the marshmallows were welcoming and familiar tastes in contrast to the pineapple.

DESIGN // SAM SHI

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THE GREAT EXCHANGE cultural appreciation

WORDS AND PHOTOS | EMILY DEXTER Students embrace cultures outside of their own, encourage greater cultural acceptance

lmost one year ago, junior Ria Jain watched a video of some of her favorite YouTubers reacting to a music video by Korean pop (K-pop) group BTS. Jain said since then, she has seen parts of her personality change as she has become passionate about both K-pop and Korean culture. “I was like, ‘Hmm, this looks really good. (These YouTubers are) all reacting so strongly to this, so maybe I should check (K-pop) out as well,’” Jain said. “Once I checked it out, I was like, ‘Wow, they sound really good. Their dancing is really good. The aesthetics they have in their videos (are well-done).’ I was actually kind of disappointed that I didn’t get into it earlier.” Jain said she is now interested in numerous K-pop groups, as well as in the Korean culture in general. As an Indian American, Jain has no personal connection to Korea, but she said she began to embrace this new culture, going as far as learning both the spoken and written Korean language. Jain is far from the only student who has embraced a culture that is not her own, and she is now a member of both Korean Club and International Food and Culture Club (IFCC), along with students who share similar interests. Earlier this semester, Jain and Sarah Mick, DESIGN // SAM SHI

As the world grows more globalized, cultures from around the world are becoming more intermingled. Let’s take a look at how cultural diffusion is affecting CHS

IFCC member and junior, gave a presentation on Korean culture during an IFCC meeting. They discussed the Korean way of life, from popular fashion styles to the long hours which Korean students dedicate to school and studying. For Mick, the fascination for other cultures started at a young age. She said she first learned about Japanese culture in elementary school, partially through working on her Girl Scout troop’s Bronze Award project in 2011. According to Live Science, the was the year northeastern Japan experienced a magnitude-9 earthquake, one it is still recovering from. Mick’s troop learned about the country and informed others about the natural disaster in order to raise money for northeastern Japan. Mick said the experience sparked her interest in Japanese culture and influenced her decision to take Japanese I as her foreign language at CHS. From there, Mick said she found ties with Korean culture that helped her transition into liking K-pop. “It was the beginning of freshman year. I moved here, and I was looking for places to find connections with people because I knew absolutely no one,” Mick said. “So I went to Anime Club, and in that club, (at) one of the first meetings, this one girl was like, ‘Yo, look at this music video. You should check it out.’ And it was

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During a meeting of International Food and Culture Club (IFCC), member and junior Ria Jain participates in a word game. Brenna Chia and Loraine Lee, the club’s leaders and juniors, wrote a coded phrase on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom, while the members’ goal was to be the first to decipher the message.

BTS. I saw it, and I was like, ‘Oh, this looks really interesting.’ I looked it up at home, and then it kind of spiraled from there.” Like Mick, Jain said it is important for students to learn more about different cultures. “I would encourage people to try to delve into a culture that isn’t their own because it can change you in ways you don’t even know,” Jain said. Jain said IFCC has made her more appreciative of the diversity in the world, because she said she now had a reason to learn about different cultures. “I find it really interesting how different people can have such different ideas and such vibrancy, and can come together in such a unique way,” Jain said. According to English teacher Elizabeth Kahl, students should go beyond merely learning about other cultures; they should also strive to have a diverse group of friends, so they can have a more personal connection with those other cultures. “A lot of times in high school, the natural pattern is to self-segregate. It could be (based on) interest, it could be race, (or) at times you see it’s income. But I think you can walk into certain classes, especially at higher-level classes, and see that (segregation) very clearly,” Kahl said. “It’s unfortunate, but I just

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don’t think that a lot of times people have an outlet, or someone to talk to about that, about how we need to be not just open to cultures—because I think we’re open to cultures here—but we need to be embracing and wanting to learn more and going out of our way to become friends with people outside of your group.” Kahl said she had her own experience with culturally diverse friendships in high school, mainly because her best friend was Jewish American. “She was the only Jewish American person at our school, and I was the only Pakistanislash-Asian person at our school, so we kind of had that shared culture. We had one other friend who was Ethiopian American, so we just kind of had this little shared culture that we wanted to dabble in,” Kahl said. “(My Jewish American friend would) come over and have my mom’s food and participate in some of our cultural stuff, and then the first time I went (to her home), we celebrated Hanukkah with her family. I sat down and watched them do Passover with their family. We just blended our cultures together to learn more about each other, but also because we just felt like the closer we got as friends, the more it felt like family.” Kahl said this experience helped her to better understand different groups of people as she went into college. Overall, she said she supports the idea of people embracing cultures that are not their own, but that there is a fine line between appreciation and cultural appropriation. Jiwon Yu, co-president of Korean Club and sophomore, said she feels the topic of cultural appropriation is sometimes misunderstood. Yu lived in Korea until she was ten years old, when she moved to Carmel, so her perspective comes from both sides of the equation. “In Korea, a lot of people like when foreigners enjoy our culture. We think it’s fun, and we feel like our culture is spreading,” Yu said. “We actually appreciate a lot of foreigners trying to embrace the culture, but I guess where we draw the line is when they try to make it theirs, when they bring it back to America and claim it as theirs.” Yu said she sees Korean Club, which focuses on learning about the Korean language and way GRAPHICS // JAI SANGHANI DESIGN// SAM SHI

of life, as a positive way for students to become involved with the culture, since CHS doesn’t offer Korean as a language. “When I watched (the members) learn Korean, at the beginning of the year they couldn’t speak at all, but by the end, they could speak and they could communicate with each other, and that really inspired me to really let them experience the culture,” Yu said. Despite the opportunities Korean Club, IFCC and other groups offer to students, Jain, Mick and Kahl all said there is still room for improvement in learning about and accepting other cultures at CHS. Jain said, “There’s still quite a bit of improvement we can do in the sense that there’s some people that I’ve heard that haven’t been outside the (United States) or even Indiana, so I think it would be definitely beneficial for people to start learning about other cultures and see what’s out in the world just beyond their USA bubble.” Despite this need for improvement, recent data shows that the United States may be on a trajectory toward a greater acceptance of other

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See next page for the next part of the “Great Exchange”

cultures. In 2016 and then again in 2017, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey to assess how Americans think increasing levels of diversity affect their country. In 2016, 58 percent of respondents stated they thought growing diversity makes the United States a better place to live, while 7 percent said they thought rising diversity makes the nation a worse place to live. The 2017 survey saw a significant shift in opinion, as 64 percent of respondents said they thought growing diversity makes the country a better place to live, and only 5 percent said diversity makes the nation a worse place. Whether or not that trend applies to this school’s entire student body, Jain said she sees a high acceptance and appreciation of other cultures as a trend among her friends, and that she would encourage even more students to explore and accept other cultures. Jain said, “I think people should embrace different cultures that aren’t their own because it can give people something new that can change them for the better, which from personal experience, I can say that that has happened to me.” A

the

HINDI influence

Take a look at how the growing influence of indian culture is affecting the United States

In May of 2017 in the U.S.:

900

screens showed Bollywood movies

118

California

New Jersey

46 New York

Texas

Top 4 Highest Grossing Bollywood films in America Bahubali 2 (2017): $17.38 Million Dangal (2017): $12.38 Million

Towards the end of the meeting, Sarah Mick (middle), IFCC member and junior talks with another member and junior Hailey Schumann, who gave a presentation on Germany. The presentation included a brief discussion of Germany’s language, history and culture.

PK (2014): $10.62 Million Dhoom 3 (2013): $8.03 Million

Population in 100,000’s

Between 1980 t0 2015, the Indian American population has increased by 69.4%

20 15 10 5 0

1980

1990

2000 Year

SOURCES // IMDB, FORBES, AND THE US CENSUS BUREAU

2010

2015

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cultural fusion

WORDS | CARSON TERBUSH PHOTOS | APURVA MANAS CHS students, teachers reflect on the impact of having parents of different cultural backgrounds

Junior Joseph Hsu and his family sit down to drink Indian tea. This is often a daily occurance in the Hsu household and allows the active family to reconvene after an eventful day.

n the melting pot of America, everyone has unique cultural origins, and those origins are still important to many. Especially for many students with parents of different cultures, discovering their roots is an integral aspect of their perspective and identity. Junior Joseph Hsu said his heritage has greatly impacted his outlook on the world. “My mom is Indian—she is a princess from Manipur—and my father is American-born Chinese,” Hsu said. “I think that growing up in a global household—because we had guests from all over the world come and stay with us—it definitely brought a lot more perspective to my life.” Hsu said he spent the majority of his childhood in India, and these experiences gave him a more globally oriented mindset. “Being able to (live in India) gives me a different outlook on life here in the (United) States and the things that we have here (versus) the things that we have in India,” Hsu said. “I would say that it’s just allowed me to bring a verify different viewpoint to any kind of argument.” On the other hand, junior Sharon Prati, whose father is Italian and mother is American, said living in the United States has made it difficult for her to stay in contact with her Italian family members and to truly maintain her Italian heritage. “I have cousins and family in Italy. We do FaceTime and all, which is pretty cool, but I don’t know them that well,” Prati said. “They’re learning English, but we are not learning Italian, so we have a hard time understanding each other when we see each other, and we don’t see each other too often.” DESIGN // SAM SHI

THE MELTING POT | 19

Hsu’s family often pairs the tea with a snack; this time Chinese pastries made of layered crust and filled with red bean paste.

food fusion RAMEN Replaces bun and adds crunch

See here for some of the intriguing byproducts of cultural fusion GRAPHIC // HEIDI PENG SOURCE // DAILY TROJAN

Lettuce

ER on BURaG usi F N n E c eri AM

T U NA A

C VO A D Replaces lettuce

AWE E SE Replaces typical flour tortilla

AB AS I Gives an extra kick

se-Am

e Japan SALM D N Replaces typical meats: Beef or Chicken

D Rice

SUS

n-LaBURR tin F ITO usio RK BE n L PO Asia

However, Prati said she thinks having parents of two different cultures is a rewarding experience overall. “I think it’s better (to have parents of different cultures) because you have more opportunities to do things and you know more about both cultures,” Prati said. “I think it’s a cool experience and not everyone gets to have that experience, so it’s something to enjoy.” Spanish teacher Kay Vazquez said her children were deeply impacted by cultural influences from both her and her Puerto Rican husband throughout their childhoods. Vazquez said many international experiences also impacted them, including living in Germany for eight years. “They are adventurous because of this, and they’re not afraid of the rest of the world. They understand that people are people,” Vazquez said. “They understand a lot about how to look at the world. My goal for every student is to have an outof-the-box experience because (this way) you learn about your own country, plus you learn about another part of the world.” Vazquez said she thinks traveling abroad is an effective way to appreciate your culture. “You’re never going to forget your roots,” Vazquez said. “When you’re over there looking at your country from the outside, looking in on how the rest of the world views us, you definitely think about that all the time. It just makes you look at yourself as an American, maybe in a more mature and a different way because you’ve had that experience.” Hsu agreed and said understanding culture is an important part of realizing one’s identity. “For the longest time, I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I was ashamed of my heritage,” Hsu said. “The more I learned about it and my culture and my ancestry, the more I became interested in it. I feel like definitely, no matter who you are, your past doesn’t define you, but it’s definitely worth it to look into it. You can find a lot about yourself and where you came from, and that definitely creates more connections between people.” A

Beef Patty

Replaces beef or chicken and coated in gochujang

Cheese

Shell Lettuce

S COion A K T Fus

R n POexica Y C -M SPIorean K

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Andrew Sleugh studies for AP Chemistry. As a second generation Jamaican, Sleugh said he is pushed harder to study and do well in school.

AN ACADEMIC EDGE? WORDS | SAMEEN SIDDIQUI PHOTO | MARISSA RYAN

Students discuss how the diversity in CHS impacts scholarships, college acceptance rates

ccording to Start Class, a website rating public schools, CHS has a less diverse student body than the average Indiana high school. There are far more Hispanics and African Americans in a typical school in Indiana than at CHS. In fact, Start Class stated 78.3 percent of students in Carmel are Caucasian, while only 70.9 percent of students in Indiana are of that race. This schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lack of diversity affects different races in college admissions and scholarships. Smart Class states that 3.8 percent of CHSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

student body is made up of African Americans, a significant minority within the school. Andrew Sleugh, second-generation Jamaican and junior, is a part of this minority. Sleugh said he aims to go to an Ivy League college and may have the credentials to do so, earning a score of 1560 on the SAT last year. Sleugh said being a minority in a mostly Caucasian school gives him an advantage in terms of college acceptance and scholarships, because colleges look to make their campuses more diverse and less homogenous. Ismail Aqeel, president of Muslim Student

THE MELTING POT | 21

Alliance (MSA), junior and second-generation Pakistani, said he believes colleges offer scholarships for different races to help promote diversity. He said schools want to be labeled as a place that has a variety of different cultures and ethnic groups so that some people of different faiths or cultures won’t be afraid to attend that school. However, Sleugh said while it is easier to get into a college or earn a scholarship as a minority, the advantage are fewer than many would think. “Since Carmel is primarily white I guess being a minority that excels would make you stand out more than the average (person), but I don’t think that an underqualified minority would necessarily make it into a high level college over an overqualified white person,” Sleugh said. John Wang, president of the National Chinese Honor Society and senior, said ethnicity can affect scholarships and acceptance rates from colleges in a negative way. He said it is unfortunate, but for some colleges it is harder for those who are Asian to get in because of affirmative action. Melinda Messineo, Interim Associate Provost for Diversity at Ball State University, said there are scholarships for different ethnicities because some donors hope to contribute to campus diversity by supporting students from underrepresented populations. Sleugh said he’s not using his ethnicity as a crutch. “Me personally, It’s not like I’m slacking off or relying on the fact that I’m black to get into college; I’m working just as hard as anyone to ensure I give myself the best opportunities no matter what lens you look at me through,” he said. Sleugh also said he thinks colleges pushing for diversity is a good thing. “(This is) because the differing ideas and viewpoints that people from various cultures bring to the table are incredibly important and help to foster a more positive and effective learning environment,” Sleugh said. “(Colleges) just have to be careful and make sure they aren’t going overboard with it and (are) still keeping in the objective qualifications in mind and not looking solely at race or ethnicity.” A

Diversity and colleges Take a look at how minorities fare in receiving scholarship money and in their proportion of the collegiate student body

Scholarship Money total amount Caucasian students recieved in merit-based scholar ships during the 2008-9 school year

$7.44 billion

$2.32 billion

total amount all minority students recieved in merit-based scholarships

College Ethnic Compositions (By percentage)

100%

Multiracial Black Asian Hispanic

50%

Caucasian

Johns Hopkins Berkeley

Harvard

SOURCES // COLLEGE FACTUAL and finaid.org GRAPHIC // KAREN ZHANG DESIGN // SAM SHI

03.15

connecting with your roots WORDS | HANNAH GLAZIER PHOTOS | ANGELA QIAN

Students, staff of CHS reflect on the complexities of being a minority, but how cultural clubs provide a sense of comfort

Emma Nisonson, Jewish Student Union (JSU) president and senior (right), discusses the geography of Israel during a meeting. The other member, Samantha Rogers (left), JSU cofounder and junior, wrote Shalom, which is used by Jews as a salutation to begin the meeting.

or Emma Nisonson, Jewish Student Union (JSU) president and senior, says she has always felt just different than her classmates and peers. Just like other CHS students, Nisonson participates in a variety of clubs and is involved in student government, but unlike most students, Nisonson is a practicing Jew, a minority religion at CHS. Religion is not the only minority sect of CHS. According to a report by US News, CHS’s minority enrollment is merely 22 percent. In fact, only 4 percent of the over 5,000 students at CHS are African American and 3 percent of students are Hispanic. Still, CHS offers a variety of clubs to help link students of minority backgrounds to one other. For example, CHS fosters Black Student Union (BSU),

DESIGN AND GRAPHICS// SAM SHI

National Chinese Honor Society and Jewish Student Union. “I definitely have been discriminated against. Not everyone’s like this, but sometimes people think it’s okay to make jokes about things that aren’t okay to make jokes about. It goes along with people being uninformed about the topic,” Nisonson said. “And, that is actually why Jewish Student Union is open to people with all religious backgrounds because we really want to strive for inclusion and education.” In fact, according to Nisonson one fundamental reason for starting Jewish Student Union this year was because she noticed the lack of education on Judaic topics. Although Nisonson has always felt a strong connection to her Jewish heritage, she noticed there were a lot of misconceptions within the walls of CHS regarding what it means to be Jewish. As a result, Nisonson invited her friends of all religious backgrounds to club meetings that celebrate and discuss Jewish holidays. Maya Birhiray, BSU president and senior, says she agrees with Nisonson. Birhiray said she feels a sense of responsibility to be the mouthpiece of the African American student population at CHS that speaks to the entire Carmel community. Community outreach is not the only goal of cultural clubs at CHS. For many students, having a place to connect with other members of their minority backgrounds serves as an opportunity for students to feel a sense of belonging not only to their cultures, but also to a school of this size.

THE MELTING POT | 23

CULTURal CLUBS AT CHS Black Student Union:

Jewish Student Union:

National Chinese Honor Society

The club discusses the current culture in the country as it pertains to minorities, specifically the black community. Meets every other Tuesday in B221

A club discussing the role of religion in modern times. The club hopes to band together to take action in unifying teens to feel more included and tolerated. Meets first Tuesday of the month in E234

With a focus on advancing the study of the Chinese language and culture, the club strives to recognize achievement to students taking Chinese. Meets once a month on Blue days after school in A225

Black Student Union sponsor Jeremy Stacy said, “Especially minority clubs give kids an outlet to kind of come together and talk about things that are specifically affecting them. Sometimes (minority students) might not be able to speak about those issues because they are in the minority, and they might not have classes with people of their same background or ethnicity. Sometimes it just gives kids a place to even vent.”

Birhiray agrees with Stacy. According to Birhiray, at BSU’s core is a focus on unity within the community. “I like being together with other members of the African American community,” Birhiray said. “It’s nice knowing that every other Tuesday I get to see them and we have this nice camaraderie; we’ve got each other’s backs and we understand some of the struggles that our other A friends might not get.”

Emma Nisonson and Molly Foster, JSU cofounder and senior, play “Jewperdy” during a Jewish Student Union meeting. They chose from categories such as people, holidays, food and geography.

SOURCE // ACTIVITIES OFFICE

03.15

WORDS | RAPHAEL LI PHOTOS | HEIDI PENG

i felt STEREOTYPED when... JA OP sP hL uE aT O N

“Being African American, my hair curls up, and I can’t exactly wear it down or anything, but I have to pick it out. I have a little pick, a fork-type thing, like a comb that I pick my hair out with. So one day I chose to wear that to school in the hallways, and everybody was just looking at me like I was different because people aren’t used to it. They were all looking at it and laughing at it because they didn’t understand it.” Junior

DESIGN // ALANNA WU

THE MELTING POT | 25

“Some situations can get out of hand, like where some people start saying racial slurs and racial slangs...One time, I was trying to stand up for my friend and a white male came up and said, ‘sit the f*** down (slur),’ which is the racial slur for the Chinese. I really don’t think this kid would want to fight me, but I think he was just saying that to say something.” Senior

ls uc ih se k e r

“There are many countries that speak Spanish such as Columbia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Chile...You can’t just categorize people. That’s what I think in my head when people call me Mexican. I mean, I want to take the time to show them that no one in my family looks Mexican, and I don’t look Mexican. But I don’t have that time. My dad’s from (the)Dominican Republic, and my mom’s from Honduras. People in (the) Dominican Republic are really dark-skinned. They are of African descent and people from Honduras also look very different, so when people assume I’m Mexican, I just get kind of annoyed and irritated.” Senior

JL OE EE Y

03.15

AMERICA’S DIVERSITY SNAPSHOT Take a closer look at the diversity of Carmel, the state of Indiana and America as a whole

UNITED STATES

INDIANA

CARMEL

325,719,178

6,666,818

91,065

TOTAL POPULATION

WHAT’S THE REAL DIVERSITY BREAKDOWN OF AMERICA, INDIANA AND CARMEL? United States

Indiana

Carmel

100

Percent of People American Indian or Alaska Native African American

Two or More Races Hispanic or Latino

Caucasian

Asian

INCLUDES...

IN CARMEL... White & American Indian White & Asian White & African American White & Another Other Race

0.2 % 0.8% 0.4% 0.1%

HISPANIC focuses on Spanish speaking origin LATINO refers to people of Latin American origin

THE MELTING POT | 27

AT CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL 2.5 KIDS OUT OF EVERY 10 ARE AN ETHNIC MINORITY AT PIKE HIGH SCHOOL 9.1 KIDS OUT OF EVERY 10 ARE AN ETHNIC MINORITY AT NOBLESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 1.5 KIDS OUT OF EVERY 10 ARE AN ETHNIC MINORITY

RESEARCHERS SAY... A diverse student population creates a richer learning environment because students learn most from those who have very different life experiences from theirs and also improves several other attributes related to academic success, including student satisfaction and motivation general knowledge, and intellectual self-confidence.

STUDIES FOUND...

percent of respondents believe diverse workplaces and schools will help make American businesses more innovative and competitive

percent support “new steps to reduce racial and ethnic inequality in America through investments in areas like education, job training, and infrastructure improvement”

percent say they would be willing to invest “significantly more public funds to help close the gap in college graduation rates” between black and Latino students and white students

PSYCHOLOGISTS SAY...

DISRUPTS CONGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

FOR MEMBERS OF BOTH THE MAJORITY AND MINORITY

The “negative effects associated with insufficient racial diversity extend to members of nonminority groups,” most notably the persistence of implicit bias toward members of minority racial groups that interferes with the educational process.

Well-intentioned students have to exert significant mental effort “in order to combat the expression of stereotypes and negative attitudes that are often activated automatically and unintentionally” due to their lack of exposture to diversity.

FOR BUSINESSES IN THE TOP QUARTILE OF DIVERSITY...

percent more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean

BUSINESSES WITH ETHNIC DIVERSITY DESIGN AND GRAPHICS // ALINA HUSAIN

percent more likely to have returns above the industry mean

BUSINESSES WITH GENDER DIVERSITY SOURCES // US CENSUS BUREAU, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, MCKINSEY & COMPANY, ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION, THE CENTURY FOUNDATION

03.15

or junior Caitrin Cooney, learning about different cultures doesn’t necessarily mean watching a movie, trying new foods or researching a culture’s traditions. Cooney has had experience being actively exposed to an entirely different culture, as she spent 9th grade and the first half of her 10th grade year living in Accra, Ghana in West Africa. Cooney was born in Nebraska and moved to Washington when she was four, then moved to Ghana before freshman year. “I wasn’t excited to move at all just because, in both instances (moving to Ghana and moving back to the United States), they were moves with such drastic lifestyle changes. So I guess moving from Seattle to Ghana, I didn’t want to go and leave my friends, especially at the start of high school,” she said. “But once I was there I loved it, and same way coming back. It was kind of like I got ripped away in both circumstances. Initially I was resistant, but I came around in both circumstances.” Jennifer Mansberger, English as a New Language (ENL) teacher, said moving is a different process for everyone.

She said, “It just depends on the person, the city and the circumstances. There is definitely a transition period. It’s just exciting, we have a lot of students here with different cultures and backgrounds.” While Cooney attended an American school specifically for American citizens while in Ghana, junior Vincent Chang attended an international school in Shanghai, China. Chang said, “I lived in Carmel before and I moved to China for my dad’s job for three years and then I moved back. I guess it was really hard to adjust because everyone spoke Chinese and obviously there were different cultural things. I think I learned a lot about how to communicate with other people, because obviously, at an international school, there’s a lot of people from different backgrounds and cultures.” Chang also said when he moved to China, he felt some of the culture there was more harsh. In terms of school, however, he said, “They expect you to learn things faster, and they’re more responsible for you, while here, you kind of have to fend for yourself.”

New Country, CHS students reflect on past international schooling backgrounds

Junior Caitrin Cooney presents a photo she took at Jamestown Beach in Accra, Ghana. Cooney spent a year and a half living in Accra.

International School Qualifications THE MELTING POT | 29 On the other hand, Cooney said she experienced a ‘reverse culture shock’ when she experienced the differences in American and Ghanaian culture. She said, “Reverse culture shock would be a better term for it because living abroad, there’s a lot of things that aren’t as easily accessible as they would be here. They have so many choices (here) and everything is accessible, whereas before, a lot of stuff that we take for granted here would’ve been considered special.” Chang said his transition back into American culture also included a language difference. He said, “I spoke a lot less English because obviously I had to communicate with natives, so I spoke Chinese a lot. When I came back, I kind of forgot some of my English for a while.” Both Cooney and Chang said living internationally was an interesting opportunity, and they are appreciative of the experience. Although both recognize cultural differences, they each experienced a different transition back into the way of life in the United States. Cooney said, “Ghanaians and West Africans in general are more friendly and there’s also less personal boundaries. In general, life’s more high strung, but at the same time, it’s more fun.” A

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL QUALIFICATIONS 1. International curriculum options - such as the England, American, or Russian curriculum 2. Smaller class sizes - Fosters engagement within the students

3. -P

3. Non-selective student enrollment - Provides each student the ability to excel despite previous achievements 4. Working with teachers worldwide - Helps in better connecting with students from various countries by driving the student-teacher relationship 5. Teaching students who don’t use English as their first language - Teachers are able to fully support EASL learners 6. Internal professional development - Led by staff members or trainers within the school 7. Short-term contracts allow teachers to move in between countries - Often only last 2 years, allowing teachers to move between countries

New School

GRAPHIC // LAASYA MAMIDIPALLI SOURCE // TICRECRUITMENT.COM

Laasya Mamidipalli | graphic ticrecruitment.com | source 6. Internal professional development DESIGN // ALANNA WU - Led by staff members or trainers within the school

WORDS | ANUSHKA DASGUPTA PHOTOS | HEIDI PENG

Junior Vincent Chang presents a collage of photos taken during his time living in Shanghai, China. Chang spent three years attending an international school in Shanghai.

5. -T

03.15

Learning a Language Perspectives editor Misha Rekhter advises CHS students to acknowledge the challenges of learning English as an immigrant

WORDS | MISHA REKHTER PHOTO | CLAIRE ABDELLAH

he majority of CHS students will never experience the problematic nature of moving to a foreign country without speaking the native tongue. Today, English is spoken almost universally, which is wonderful for English speakers and alarming for those who don’t. My parents confronted this issue head on when they immigrated to America from the shattered remains of the Soviet Union over 20 years ago. My dad had a stronger grasp of English than most and already had a job in place before coming here. With time, he has developed a strong understanding of English, but he will never escape his accent, and Russian will always be his strongest language. It’s disheartening to recognize how he is consistently misinterpreted and wrongly judged because of his accent. In his time in America, my dad’s fluency of the English language has grown significantly and is now better than the majority of nativespeaking Americans, yet people continue to look down on his English-speaking abilities because of a measly accent. On the other hand, my mom came

to America with no job and without any real knowledge of the English language. She struggled upon arriving to America, and it took years for her to learn English. Similar to my dad, Russian is still her preferred language and she is consistently at a disadvantage due to her accent. Her inability to speak the language delayed her professional career and crippled her social life for a couple of years. Unable to speak English well, it wasn’t just hard to make friends—it was impossible. The majority of immigrants and their families have similar struggles. This is not to say that immigrants are ungrateful for the opportunities America has proved for them, but rather that America is not an easy place to thrive. An accent should not be a negative, but merely a trait. CHS students should not view immigrants as lesser Americans, but as unique in a good way. All CHS students can recognize that learning a second or third language is difficult and frustrating. It is essential to understand people are a byproduct of their actions, and as Americans should be judged without bias. CHS must understand an accent doesn’t define a person. A

THE MELTING POT | 31

WORDS | RIYA CHINNI PHOTO | CHRISTINA YANG

ut of the 22 languages in India, Hindi is the predominant one. Mumbai, the bustling city on the Western coast where my family resides, is almost full of only Hindi speakers, but there’s one problem—I don’t speak it. I haven’t receive as much exposure to Hindi being part of the second generation in the United States. My mother and I usually visit Mumbai for a month every few summers, and while I enjoy spending time with my family and reconnecting to my heritage, not being able to speak to locals or even some of my family can be incredibly disheartening. There have been many instances where I’ve been out with family or friends in India and have experienced the same situation repeatedly: someone asks me a question, I attempt to comprehend what the person is saying for a few seconds, eventually give up and helplessly turn to the people around me. These are the moments where I feel caught between two worlds, not entirely American but not really Indian either. Being from the United States, I’m already

DESIGN // ALANNA WU

seen as “uncultured” to some of my family members, and their disappointment definitely comes across when they have to speak to me in broken English or get my mother to serve as a translator. Not being able to talk to family members is the worst part of not being able to speak my family’s native language because I’m missing out on opportunities to bond with and get to know them simply because of the language barrier that exists. Spending time with family is the reason why I visit the motherland, but not being able to communicate once I am there is a major obstacle. Although language issues are discouraging, I’m trying to lessen this issue by talking to my mother more in Hindi and increasing communication with my family members in the hopes that I’ll learn the language little by little and can eventually overcome this obstacle. Not being able to speak my native language, while difficult at times, only inspires me to seek out opportunities to try to learn it and discover more about my heritage along the way. A

Losing A Language Staff member Riya Chinni reflects on the difficulties of not speaking her family’s native tongue

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