SPU Stories

Not many people believed the same things as me

I was like most people in high school. I was misunderstood, written-off, and forced to be someone I wasn’t. I was quiet, had to hide my...

I realized I would have to work so much harder

I think that when people look at me, they see someone who’s in control and is very organized. What they don’t know is that I live in a...

I’d like to step away from that

When people look at me, my initial thought is that they see a black man. I feel like I look a lot older than I am, too. I think that they...

I started to think more about my future

I am in my second year at SPU as I transferred to SPU Fall 2019 from Seattle University. So far, SPU has been great for me as I like the...

I am honestly just winging it

When people first look at me, they are often intimidated by my face, which often looks angry while walking from class to class. I come...

If you look back and you’re proud of what you’ve accomplished...

I was born and raised in Washington, I’ve lived here my whole life. However, I have done a lot of traveling. Since I speak Russian...

What is it that is so expected of me?

The biggest thing I am afraid of, just in general, is being discontented with life. The American state-of-mind that ‘busy is better’ and...

Accepting how I am

The time I feel most beautiful is when I wake up in the morning. I don’t know…I just feel more confident and ready to start the day. ...

I honestly believe East Asian racism is completely overlooked

I assume that when people look at me, they see a plain average person. I’d like to think I am beautiful, in looks and for who I am. I...

It was here that I realized instruction was my calling

There are always events that color how one builds their life and their career. One of my bigger milestones would be leaving the Air Force...

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We are students at Seattle Pacific University. We designed this blog to challenge stereotypes by giving individuals a chance to speak for themselves, to create their own labels, and to share their own stories. Through the personal narratives of students, staff, and faculty at SPU we hope to celebrate uniqueness and unity, the beautiful truth that here we are many shades of one color: maroon.

Most stories have two photos. The first picture represents what we think people see when they look at us, the stereotypes and labels we have lived with our whole lives. After reading our stories, you can see photos that represent what we wish people could see when they look at us, what they will see when they take the time to hear our stories. These words embody who we are, what our stories have helped us to become, and how we want to be known.