While reading the book How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, I often felt a strong connection with the main character, Yolanda. As a Dominican immigrant in the U.S., she faces many cultural dilemmas and struggles to find her true identity. I found her story and my personal experience similar in some ways. After coming to the U.S. in ninth grade, I went through the same stages as Yolanda—from encountering cultural shock in the beginning to making every effort to be Americanized to gradually and unconsciously leaving part of my root behind. Therefore, in examining how the consumption of English and American culture have shaped Yolanda’s identity, I was also self-exploring, wanting to know where I stand, how I have changed, and how much of the American culture has replaced my own. I also wanted to find out if one can successfully merge two or more cultural identities. Through synthesizing and analyzing different readings in my paper, I realized that having a harmonious multicultural identity is extremely difficult and that it is important for immigrants to find the balance.
JIANI (LIZ) SHEN is rising sophomore who will be transferring to the University of Pennsylvania in Fall 2016. She was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She came to the U.S. in 9th grade and attended a small private high school near Philadelphia. Although she has left BU, she’s sincerely grateful for what she has learned during her first year of college here. She wants to give special thanks to Professor Yoder, who passionately and patiently guided her through her first college writing course and made it so fun and rewarding. She would also like to thank Professor Finlayson, who gave her constructive feedback and encouragement in WR 100 and further strengthened her writing skills.