Letter From the Editor

Dear Readers,

With the everyday bustle of our lives, we know that keeping up with a busy, competitive world is both distracting and time consuming. Our days are full to bursting with activities, and there seems to be no end to errands and deadlines that demand our immediate attention.

As Chinese Americans, we take tremendous pride in our culture; however, we seldom have time to deeply reflect on what means to be Chinese and living in the United States. This issue of the Chinese School newsletter is dedicated to that theme. Our staff writers focused on cultural preservation and identification, with an emphasis on cultural awareness of youth, and took this opportunity to examine an issue that we experience each day of their lives, but perhaps never had a chance to define and thoroughly explore. Article discussions range from stereotypical "Asian" details that many of us will recognize to a larger, broader perspective observing the importance of preserving the Chinese heritage. These issues identify who we are. They are our roots: inborn, and always present.

The articles are the thoughts of Chinese youth in our community. We express our opinions on growing up as Chinese high school students in the United States, the obstacles that we confront and the joys that enrich our lives. We hope that you will enjoy the pages that follow and be reminded of our responsibility to our native culture as Chinese American citizens.

Sincerely,

Joy Jeng

Staff Writers: Mason Chen, Harn Chiu, Scott Chu, Susan Duan, Eric Fong, Joy Jeng, Paul Jeng, Irene Li, Lydia Lo, Tiffany Tu