From the schools
Finding our space Students share thoughts and experience
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By Ayame Bevan, Iou-shiuan Angela Chou, Miia Mäkinen and Seoyeon Yoon
osh, wealthy, and privileged; these stereotypes hardly represent the true nature of the student population studying in international schools. Three current international students – Ayame, Miia and Seoyeon – took the stage at the Alliance for International Education Japan chapter’s inaugural meeting in November 2020 to share their thoughts and experiences on what it means to belong and to be connected to an international school environment. Their thoughts are summarised here.
Student A When people think of a person from Finland and Korea, you would expect the person to look
38 | International School | Summer 2021
like a mix of both countries. However, in my case, my physical appearance largely resembles the Finnish side of the family, which means I have light-coloured eyes, ashen skin, and medium brown hair. I never had a problem with people not initially recognizing me as Korean when they met me for the first time. However, I had classmates telling me that I was ‘too white’ to be considered Asian, based on physical appearance and the things I say. When I was told that, I felt I was not biracial because I did not look ‘Asian enough’. There was an instance where I once said I liked Starbucks, the coffee
shop, which is a normal thing to like, but I was then told it was stereotypical of me to appreciate that because I was ‘that white’. These situations affected me for a long time, but nowadays such comments do not impact me. My parents placed me in international schools because they wanted to give me a chance to grow up in an environment where other students from similar international backgrounds surrounded me. Now, I feel the actual benefits of being in an international school. I feel accepted for who I am, and I no longer feel like I need to prove to others where I come from.
