Racism is a term given to the cruel and inhumane way that people are treated because of their race or ethnicity. It happens everywhere. It happens in places where people of different races come together in a country, community, job, or school. It can ruin the lives of victims who have low self-esteem. It makes them feel that they are not wanted or do not belong where they are, as a result of this they can give up and end up living up to the stereotypes that surround them . Even though I became a victim of racism, I never gave up on proving to racists and all those who underrate people of different races that we are all-human and are competent of doing anything. I once attended a program that was recommended for me because of my grades. The program helped immigrants who are yet to go to college particularly high school students to know what they need to do to get into college. We were about twenty students in the class. Eighty percent of the class was Hispanic students, nineteen percent Africans and one percent Vietnamese. One day, I was walking after class to the bus stop with the only Vietnamese in the class, Uyen when I made a random statement. I told her I would love to go to Stanford University after high school. Instantly, she gave me the “in your dreams” look. She told me told me that, that thought should stay in my dreams because there was no way I could get in. I felt hurt and confused at the same time. She told me I did not have what it takes to get into Stanford University. She told me I was not smart enough or financially worthy of getting into the school. Moreover, that people of my ethnicity did not have the kind of knowledge in education to get into any school of that sort. Therefore, I asked her if she was eligible for schools like that. Surprisingly, she said she felt and knew she was eligible for such colleges. She told me she had won academic awards in both her country and in the United States, had advanced placement classes and an average of 99.62, which she said, was easy to obtain and maintain because of her smartness. What she said could have offended me, but I totally understood this in a different perception. In fact, I took this as an advice because after that conversation I realized how far behind I was from my colleagues. Immediately, I had the desire to study with much more dedication and to involve myself in academic activities. After the second semester of school, my average had risen to a 91.45 and I passed all my classes. Now I feel eligible to go to any college of my choice. Although she had a negative and ignorant view of people of my race, I ignored it and focused on how I can use what she said to me to better my life. Racism can have a negative or positive effect on its victims. It depends on what the victim chooses. If the negative part of the situation is chosen, someone might end up living up to the stereotype. However, if the victim chooses the positive side, as I did, they will be successful in life. You always find the bright side of every bad situation and hold on to it until you come out successful.
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