How Cultural Identity Shapes the College Experience

There is something very special that we all as humans inherently feel and share: a desire for community. We all strive to find and connect with people who experience and enjoy life in ways that resonate with us. Many communities we find ourselves in can be built upon shared hobbies and passions, family ties, academic or professional endeavors, or past experiences; however, we are often most deeply connected through culture.

Entering college often intensifies our craving for community. Faced with a new and unfamiliar world and life experience, we seek out others to share it with, people to witness our lives. Campuses offer many ways to connect, including social circles, academic majors, long-term goals, and even simple proximity.  But one will never fail to find a vast array of cultural and ethnic communities across their campus. Yet cultural and ethnic communities stand out to us because of the unique understanding they provide. Connections rooted in shared culture carry an unspoken recognition and deep understanding of the lives we’ve each lived so far, which is why many students of color are drawn to cultural organizations and clubs.

For many Asian Americans, growing up often meant attending schools and living in neighborhoods where few people shared our culture. That absence makes the discovery of cultural communities in college especially meaningful. Our cultural identities shape who we befriend, the organizations we join, and even the leadership roles we take on, weaving themselves into our social lives in ways both subtle and profound. 

At the end of the day, our search for community is something that follows us throughout our lives, but when we go to college, it also becomes a journey towards understanding and growing ourselves. Finding others who share our culture offers far more than just friends and social connections; it affirms the stories and traditions that have shaped us in life and builds our confidence in who we are. Even after we graduate and move on from our undergraduate years, the cultural communities and knowledge from them stay with us, reminding us that identity and belonging will always be intertwined.