Eating mac and cheese with chopsticks, switching languages naturally during family conversation, wearing a red New Year’s dress with black combat boots: these are experiences that junior Kayla Chen used to describe the duality of her Asian American identity. Like Chen, many Asian American students in Brookline have stories, feelings or aspects of their lives heavily influenced by their identities. One local essay competition offers a platform for them to share these experiences with the world.

The Brookline Asian American Family Network (BAAFN) Asian American Student Essay Contest is an annual essay competition aimed at elevating and showcasing the stories of local Asian American high school students. Held each February, the contest calls for entries that explore one multifaceted prompt: What does it mean to be Asian American? Then, in May, the contest winners are honored with awards, monetary prizes and an opportunity to present their winning essays to a live audience during an award ceremony.

Chen’s essay won the contest’s $250 Creativity Award in 2022. Her essay drew parallels between her Asian American existence and being caught in a doorway frame, precariously situated between two worlds that reject each other: a battle between her Asian side and her American side.

“It was about the discrepancy between wanting to celebrate my culture, but also growing up in an environment that doesn’t really let me do that,” Chen said.

Upon winning, Chen initially worried about reading her essay to others, as she’d never been recognized for her writing before. However, the competition gave her the courage to be vulnerable and share her story.

“[The essay contest] let me speak my voice in an environment that really understood what I was going through,” Chen said. “It also gave me a safe space to express my story to people who wouldn’t understand it.”

For the past eight years, the contest had an impact on students like Chen, compelling them to articulate their complex identities and experiences. It was founded in 2016 by former BAAFN steering committee member Teresa Cheng, who moved to California the following year, leading Hsiu-Lan Chang to join BAAFN and assume leadership.

In the seven years since, Chang has been the contest’s organizer, managing everything from securing sponsorships to publicizing the event. She explained that the contest serves various purposes, all of which are aimed at positively impacting Brookline’s Asian American community and its youth.

According to Chang, one of the contest’s central objectives is to validate important stories from Asian American students that would otherwise go unheard.

“Many Asian Americans feel the othering that is part of our historic experience here in this country, and the contest is a way for us to give them an outlet and amplify their voices,” Chang said. “We Asian Americans have to be more adept, more courageous, more forthcoming with the sharing of our stories. Otherwise, our stories will be lost.”

Helping people from different races and generations understand the experiences of Asian American youth is another of the contest’s main goals. Reading the essays, retired business executive and contest judge John Hodgman gained a newfound awareness of the struggles of Asian Americans in Brookline, a topic he had been unfamiliar with for his entire life.

“When I first began to read these essays, I had no idea of the challenges that young people of Asian backgrounds had in this community. In fact, I was shocked by some of the essays I read,” Hodgman said. “These are very helpful essays to read to get a better sense of what the younger members of the Asian community are up against.”

Chang, a member of Brookline’s Asian American community, said that the essays she’s read over the years opened new avenues for reflection and contemplation.

“When I heard the students talking about what concerns them, it made me reflect,” Chang said. “A lot of the experiences shared are not experiences that I want young people to have to go through, and as a parent, I wondered if I was adequate enough in giving my boys the support that they needed during their youth. I’m so amazed at the variety of stories that are out there. I am always learning from young people.”

Chang said she stresses diversity in the contest to ensure that all the Asian American viewpoints in Brookline are properly represented. She said that Asian Americans represent nearly 50 countries and thousands of languages and dialects, and she hopes participants feel fulfilled knowing their personal essay is contributing to the diverse collection.

Contest judge Christian Angelos said he noticed how many of the essays mirrored his own adolescent experiences growing up Asian in the United States. He said he was impressed by the student authors’ eloquence and bravery.

“It was incredibly empowering to read these essays because, even though a lot of these students experienced things that I’ve also experienced, they wrote about it. They told their story,” Angelos said. “It is difficult, but completely worth it.”

Senior Claire Choi’s essay won the contest’s $250 Content Award in 2021. She wrote about her romanized Korean middle name, “Galim.” Choi used to resent her mother for making an email address with “Galim”; she thought it looked awkward among the traditionally American usernames of her friends. Soon, however, she learned its true meaning of “beautiful jade” and grew to cherish the name. She used her essay as a platform to express gratitude towards her parents.

Choi said that winning the competition made her feel heard and valued.

“For someone to appreciate my essay, especially about a name that I used to dislike, validated the fact that my name really is beautiful and that other people see it too,” Choi said.

Chang emphasized the importance of Asian Americans having a means to share their stories. She said that feeling heard helps students overcome internal challenges that they might be grappling with.

“It’s extremely important for Asian Americans to have this outlet,” Chang said. “It really helps when you can express [your story], say it out loud and feel that, on the other side, someone is listening.”