I want to first say that my new website, which shines light on different topics in data science can be accessed at morningmodule.com.
The second thing I want to say is that I will be pivoting this blog to be more of a personal reflection type of blog where I will be writing my thoughts on matters that may or may not be directly related to data science or being an aspiring data scientist. So, instead of this blog having a focus on my projects, it will be less technical in nature and more of my musings.
Lately, I had some thoughts about being in a STEM career and being Asian American. These thoughts were prompted by my sister who has always had a big influence on my whether I acknowledge it or not. My sister is the complete opposite of me in terms of her personality, interests, and of course, career aspirations. She is outspoken and stubborn and I am shy and more of a push-over. She majored in Chinese and English and I majored in Math. She went to college in NYC and I went to school upstate of NYC. She is interested in Asian American politics, civic engagement, immigration law, and I am interested in figuring out how to incorporate backend Python code to a frontend Angular framework.
My sister also started a newsletter which focuses on all things Asian American and also collaborated with others to start a podcast called "Fresh off the Vote" which focuses on the topic of voting mainly in the Asian American Pacific Islander community. That's pretty amazing right? Considering there aren't that many Asian Americans who are in politics, she may be doing things at the frontier of civic engagement among Asian Americans.
As for me, I feel more like I have followed a stereotypical route of being on a STEM track almost my whole life. Although I was technically a "Social Science major" in high school, I still went to a technical high school (Brooklyn Technical High School) and took the hardest math classes they had to offer. I also contemplated on being a Biology major as well in college. I can read my old journal entries from elementary school and I can see how focused I was on grades as well. I just feel I have checked all the boxes of being a stereotypical Asian American.
Now that I am an aspiring data scientist, I sometimes wonder why I chose this field. Of course it is interesting--there is no doubt. But, I wonder how I can bring more of the humanities to data science sometimes. I remember really enjoying my "Literature and Society" class and studying abroad in Spain to learn the language, culture, and history. I also remember enjoying getting my Masters in Teaching, although teaching was not as enjoyable. Although I enjoyed learning about the humanities and teaching, I ended up in a more technical field than ever. I think it isn't because I inherently liked STEM more, but because of how I was raised that put STEM at a higher pedestal.
I simply have to remember that I am a multi-faceted person and although I have chosen data science as a career track, I am not just a data scientist. I am a human with other interests and perhaps other obligations as a person who has the ability to vote.
I suppose my sister's newsletter and the podcast she is a part of is awakening the other side of me who wants to make a difference not just in data science but in other parts of society. Her existence is a call for action. It is time to not forget to read the news sometimes, understand some politics, and take action when needed.
"Fresh off the Vote" is available everywhere. My sister's newsletter can be accessed through nonnative.substack.com.
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