Angelina grew up in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. She likes how everyone in the Tenderloin is unique and has an interesting backstory. She values her family and friends the most. She is a big fan of reading books and listening to music. Her goal for the future is to become a doctor so she can help people in need. She also wants to volunteer and donate to animal shelters. She plans on having a dog in the future. Angelina loves adventures and she wants to one day travel the world with someone. She hopes that in the future everyone is equal and violence is rare.
I live in a doorway* between being Vietnamese and American.
At home, I speak Vietnamese, but at school, I speak English.
My parents say to always know where I’m from,
or else my culture will be lost.
Most of my friends aren’t Vietnamese,
so we speak in English.
Being American is like delicious vanilla ice cream,
but being Vietnamese is like creamy Oreo ice cream,
both things I love very much.
In Vietnam, the hot, blazing sun shines down on me.
In America, it mostly is cold where I am.
“Never forget who you are,” my mom says.
My dad says, “Your culture shows who you are. Don’t hide it.”
The comfort of being Vietnamese and American makes me feel special.
*Line inspired by the poem “Sonrisas” by Pat Mora
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by Ola Faleti, 826CHI, with an introduction by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S.
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