Darwin Yu Oral History

Darwin Yu [He/Him] is a first-generation student and a first-year at UC San Diego who came from Sacramento. In our interview, he talks about his experiences with the expectations of his family and the cultural differences that caused divides in their understanding of each other, and what academics mean to them. He also talks about his experience during the pandemic; what it was like being in high school when the pandemic started and how it has made it difficult for him to enter and adjust to college. This interview covers topics such as being Asian American and the struggles of the model minority mindset, cultural differences between generations and national upbringing, and transitioning educational institutions during a pandemic. I met my interviewee through a club we both are members of and I asked him to participate in this interview. The interview was held over Zoom to practice social distancing during the Covid-19 Pandemic and to accommodate his schedule. This interview was conducted by Jason Ang, a second-year Literature/Writing major who is interested in different cultural perspectives on academics from a first-generation student and how the pandemic has affected incoming college students.