I was born in ***, a Muslim state in a multicultural nation in Southeast Asia, Malaysia.
My rural home area is full of villages next to luscious green rice paddy fields, and the majority of
the people are ethnically Malay who follow Islamic principles and practice Muslim cultures. As
a stark contrast from city life, my area is generally very tranquil, and I have the opportunity to
appreciate the beauty of nature. Over the years, I have often spent my evenings enjoying the
scenic views of rice paddy fields as a perfect getaway from my busy schedule.
I grew up in a middle-income Chinese family with two older siblings and two parents
who are forty-six years apart from my birth. Since my mother does not converse in Mandarin, we
speak Hokkien (a dialect of southern Min Chinese from my father’s family side) in the house. As
both of my parents are working in another district, *** ***, I was raised by my Indian caregiver,
***, whom I call &quot;Amma&quot; which means “mother” in her native Tamil language. Gradually, I saw
her as my second mother, spending the majority of my childhood under her supervision. I began
to learn her cultures and languages such as following her for prayers at Indian temples and
reading Tamil children literature that she bought for her daughter, and often I feel I behave more
like an Indian than my Chinese background.

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When I was seven-years-old, my parents sent me to my area&#39;s only Chinese primary
school where almost every student spoke the same Mandarin as I do; however, during my
transition to a public Malay secondary school, I faced racist insults as a Chinese minority that
makes up only about ten percent of the entire student population. I would occasionally hear
insulting remarks from my Malay friends such as &quot;Go back to China,&quot; &quot;You must be proud of
being Chindian (a term for mixed Indian and Chinese ancestry),&quot; and &quot;I thought Chinese are
good at Mathematics?&quot; Although I know they had no malicious intent, I felt incredibly
uncomfortable listening to those comments. I was also terrified to speak up for myself, and I
continuously suppressed my feelings of hurt that resulted from this unwanted stereotyping. Over
the years, I began to question my Chinese ethnicity, my culture, and the identity to which I
belonged. For instance, I tried to eat Malay’s food Rendang Chicken (curry chicken), speak their
Malay language, and watch the film Pontianak (Malay ghosts’ folklore) so that they would
accept me as their community and treat me more respectfully. Nevertheless, my efforts of
stopping their stereotyping of me were in vain because I still have my Chinese surname, I still
speak with a Chinese accent, and I still have almond-shaped eyes and yellowish skin.
After graduating from secondary school, at eighteen, I enrolled in a diverse English-
medium high school; here, I began learning how to be comfortable with myself and to explore
the unique aspects of my culture. Today I am able to treasure my family culture more while
integrating my multiple experiences in three different cultures (Chinese, Indian, Malay) to shape
my multiracial identity. I celebrate festivals of all three major ethnic groups in my country such
as Chinese New Year held in February; followed by the Malay breaking-fasts festival, Hari Raya
Aidilfitri, held in May; and the Indian festival of lights, Deepavali, held in November which in
turn gives me opportunities to assimilate into the diverse local community. As I am still in

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contact with my caregiver ***, I occasionally follow her to her Indian temple for weekly rituals,
and even her friends are surprised that I can chant the “mantras” (Hindu worship) in Tamil. As
for other religious practices and cultures, I love celebrating 中秋节 zhōng qiū jié (Mid-Autumn
Festival) the most because it is one of several reunion times for families, similar to American
Thanksgiving, and is a vital celebration that my parents prioritize. On the night of the festivals,
we watch the moon in front of my house while eating 月饼 yuè bĭng, a Chinese pastry mooncake
typically filled with sweet-bean or lotus-seed paste. After we have finished eating, my siblings
and I carry lanterns of all sizes and display them around our home because my culture believes
that they will serve as beacons to light our path to good fortune and prosperity. 
Growing up in a multicultural country like Malaysia, I found out that the food is one of
the dominant factors that unites the people of my nation. As a result of historical migration,
foreign colonization, and its geographical location, Malaysian cuisines are highly complex with
assorted foods that have a symphony of flavors. Natural resources in this land such as
condiments, herbs, and spices are commonly used in cooking to enhance the taste of the meal.
Regardless of the religious differences, every Malaysian enjoys food from all races; for example,
Malaysians love eating Chinese char kway teow (stir-fried rice noodles), Malay’s nasi goreng
kampung (countryside fried rice), and Indian’s nasi kandar (steamed rice). On top of that, nasi
lemak (Figure 1), fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, is the most popular dish,
ubiquitous in Malay towns, and considered Malaysia&#39;s national dish. I love to eat nasi
lemak because it is often served as breakfast with other ingredients such as fried anchovies,
boiled eggs, roasted peanuts, cucumber slices, and sambal (hot spicy sauce). As Malaysians, we
are proud of our food, and we share the same passion for every dish; for example, we can start
the day with a Chinese breakfast, followed by a Malay lunch, and an Indian dinner. Regardless

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of where we are, Malaysians will always remember the food here as it reminds us of home. This
connection with food binds us together as a diverse group.
As religious celebrations and cultural foods are constantly filling my world with joys and
hopes, my parents never forget to teach me to be grateful in all possible ways, to respect the
elderly, and to honor other people’s voices. As a person who once encountered the challenges of
stereotypes, I hope to use my multiracial experiences to contribute to a supportive community at
Cal that embraces people of different backgrounds. Also, having the experience of conversing in
multiple languages such as Malay, Tamil, English, Mandarin, and Hokkien, I feel I am more
open-minded to different cultures and have a constant curiosity for learning more about
someone’s background. I hope to utilize these resources to assist new students who are facing a
language barrier and to help those who are struggling with learning a new language. As I work
towards a Computer Engineering degree at this prestigious university, I plan to develop advanced
machine learning algorithms and systems that serve as a foundation for human-computer
interaction like self-driving cars and autonomous delivery drones. I hope to enhance human life
with my innovations and use my energies to strengthen the Common Good. My unique identity
has transformed me into someone who is empathetic with others and who can view people&#39;s
thoughts with a different perspective, both of which are fundamental skills when interacting with
a team of engineers. I am grateful for all the experiences I have had because they have truly
shaped me into who I am today.

 summarize the big ideas in 3 sentences. make it like a 11th grader wrote it.