Rice They Carried

Lei Zhao:
Not all Asians came in a box like this, I came to America on a plane... not in a box. I'm not here to make Nike shoes. I'm not here to do some sh*t like that. I'm here to learn and prosper.

The Nerd:
Stereotypes get in the way of people wanting to know you better. Stereotypes are almost a part of our culture. Stereotypes are just drilled... into our minds.

Elisa Li:
Stereotypes become what they are because a lot of one type of people are that way. But that doesn't confine every single Asian person to that one way of "being."

Lei Zhao:
One stereotype people have about Asians is that they're gonna ace whatever math comes their way.

The Nerd:
But I'm only in freshman year!

The Twinkee:
Yeah, they just expect us to be smart. And I'm like, "Nope, sorry, you got the wrong Asian here." In that way, I'm definitely not Asian. Like, I'm supposed to do well in school, math and science? Not happening. Geometry? Not happening.

Naomi Hyman:
If you want me to like you, stay true to yourself. If you're Caucasian, don't try to act like an African-American. If you're Asian, don't try to act Caucasian. Just be whoever you are. I want to see the confidence you have in yourself. That's it. Then I'll like you.

The Twinkee:
But again, what is being "Asian?" I don't know how to be "Asian." If I was raised in a white community all my life and I have no sense how to be Asian, even if I look it, what do you think that makes me? For the generation of Asian people raised in this country, I think this a problem that all of us have.

The Thug:
People look at me and expect me to act a certain way... because of the way I look... because of the way I was brought up... because of the way I dress. But, hell, just because there's a certain way I look, doesn't mean I have to act a certain way. No, that doesn't make sense at all.

The Thug:
What do you mean "Asian pride?" I don't have to exclude white people from my social circle. I don't even want to. To me, I can still be "Asian" and get along with everyone.