Bridging the Cultural Gaps, Series 1: “Dear Mom, Dear Dad”

Submission Deadline
February 1st, 2023

Eligibility:
Current high school students of Chinese descent living in the US.

  • Your essay should take the form, or genre, of a letter to one or both of your parents, or to another close relative. It should be no more than 1500 words (about 4 double-spaced pages). Please submit the essay as a Word document or PDF, in a 11 or 12 point font, double-spaced, with your name, the date of submission, your school, address, email, and telephone number. Be sure to number your pages!

  • Email student essays (Word or PDF files) to essays@chineseamericanmuseum.org.

    Please include names, email addresses, phone numbers, schools, and grade levels.

  • First Place: $1,000

    Second Place: $700

    Third Place: $400

    Honorable Mention: $100

  • CCACC Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinics

    University of Maryland Asian American Studies Program

    United Chinese Americans (UCA)

    George Washington University Asian American Studies Program

Overview

There is a wide cultural and generational gap between Chinese immigrant parents and their American children. Having vastly different life experiences, the parents often find it difficult to understand the struggles of their children growing up in America. On the other hand, the children also find it difficult to straddle two cultures and meet the expectations of their parents while struggling to fit in at school. Similar gaps may exist between later-generation Chinese Americans and their children, as well as between American parents and adopted children of Chinese descent.

Chinese American Museum in Washington DC in collaboration with Calvin J Li Memorial Foundation are introducing an annual Essay Contest series with an aim to Bridge the Cultural Gaps in Chinese American immigrant families. Our inaugural Essay Contest is titled “Dear Mom, Dear Dad,” an open letter from the children to their parent(s). In this letter, you can write something that you find it hard to say in person. You can express your appreciation and gratitude; you can voice your complaints and criticism. Most importantly, we would like you to share your struggles, your dreams, your questions, and your deepest emotion with your parents. We hope these essays will promote an open dialogue that will bring our families closer together, and help students and parents understand each other better.

First Place

Scarlet Jacobson
Grade 11, Oregon Episcopal School


Second Place

Nicole Wang
Grade 10, Brooklyn Technical High School

Andrea Zhang
Grade 11, Livingston High School


Third Place

Eileen Jiang
Grade 11, Furness Horace High School

Emily Chin
Grade 12, Castro Valley High School

Yuan Cheng
Grade 10, Marlborough School


Honorable Mention

Maggie Chen
Grade 9, Thomas A. Edison High School

Jackson Guo
Grade 11, School Without Walls High School

Meagan To
Grade 11, George Washington High School

Taylor Wong
Grade 11, Santa Clara High School

Emma Hu
Grade 9, Carmel High School

Lauren Hui
Grade 12, Castro Valley High School

Connie Wu Huang
Grade 12, Galileo Academy of Science and Technology

Michelle Liu
Grade 9, The Madeira School

Jason Liaw
Grade 10, Poolesville High School

Bethany Liu
Grade 9, Palo Alto High School

Jincheng Zhao
Grade 11, Holton-Arms School

Kelly Ren
Grade 11, Thomas S. Wootton High School

Matthew Wang
Grade 10, Cherry Hill High School East

Emmy Qin Li
Grade 10, Pine View School

Micheal Li
Grade 12, McAuley CEEP