My first few months at Li Po Chun UWC have been bracingly fast and completely unforgettable. I have three more terms to come, but somehow I already feel like I can barely begin to recount an event without wanting to talk of another. This one term has come with lessons taught and lessons learned, and I look forward to my future time at LPC with anticipation.

One of the driving factors that led me to apply to UWC was my struggle with my identity as a biracial kid. Growing up, being different from my peers through ethnicity and upbringing always made me feel somewhat out of place; having knowledge of two cultures gave me a greater awareness of the world, but it also caused me to feel as if I was missing parts of my cultures as well. I saw UWC as an opportunity to be in an environment where this sort of diversity is encouraged, my knowledge of both Germany and Taiwan celebrated rather than being told (and telling myself) I wasn’t “Taiwanese enough” or vice versa.

Coming to UWC hasn’t erased these fears, neither have they been mellowed completely, but they have evolved to be more mature. UWC is an environment where hundreds of strong personalities coexist and interact, being among people who often seem so completely cognizant of themselves while you are asking yourself “who am I?” can be incredibly daunting. But UWC is also a school - a high school at that - full of teenagers who are struggling and thriving in a hundred different ways. I have met peers going through similar struggles, I have learned that while maybe my knowledge of my two cultures has gaps to fill, no one is going to penalize me for them.

My struggle with my identity is no longer a constant gnawing of worry I carry in my gut, afraid of being exposed as an imposter. It is an acceptance that I have a lifetime to become myself and it is a lesson learned in choosing what judgements I will allow to affect me. My time at UWC has shown me that growth comes with understanding and reflection. My struggle will continue to exist in the moment of deliberation before I answer my peers’ questions about Taiwan and as I struggle to come up with words in my mother tongues; but through it I have learned, and through it I have grown.