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Rising SEAs “I Am” Poems

On August 23, 2014, the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity hosted the second annual Rising SEAs Conference aimed to encourage and foster the leadership of underrepresented Southeast Asian and other Asian American high school students. During the event, attendees participated in an expression workshop. A sample of some of these “I Am” Poems, written by students, are below.

I am understanding and strong
I wonder if I can make my dreams come true
I hear people cheering me on
I see myself achieving my goals
I want a better future for my parents and family

I am understanding and strong
I feel victory
I touch the hearts of others
I worry about natural disasters
I cry when my parents are sad

I am understanding and strong
I understand I have my parents and family’s support
I say go big or go home. Put in all of your effort
I dream of becoming successful
I try to do very good in school
I hope I can make my family even prouder

I am understanding and strong


I am peaceful and energetic
I wonder if I will have a successful future
I hear jingle bells ringing
I see bright lights, people laughing
I want a cure for all sickness and diseases

I am peaceful and energetic
I feel butterflies in my stomach/happy
I touch fuzzy warmth
I worry about my family, friends getting sicknesses that are uncurable
I cry from fear of being alone

I am peaceful and energetic
I understand what goes around comes around (karma)
I say trust is not given; it’s earned
I dream everyone and everything will always have a happy ending
I try to work and study hard
I hope for good health and prosperity for everyone

I am peaceful and energetic


I am easygoing and love laughing
I wonder if everything can be fixed with one easy solution
I hear dings and clicks
I see tree branches sway
I want to create anything I want

I am easygoing and love laughing
I feel cold and distant
I touch a freezing our face
I worry about getting accepted and not being good enough
I cry when losing a friend

I am easygoing and love laughing
I understand myself
I say I will be great and be a leader that helps the world
I dream of the perfect life
I try to help others to improve and to improve myself
I hope for a happy future

I am easygoing and love laughing


I am a giver and a learner
I wonder about my future
I hear my mom saying “I’m proud”
I see world hunger/poverty
I want success

I am a giver and a learner
I feel worried
I touch the sky
I worry about failing/not meeting standards
I cry about children and animals that are abused

I am a giver and a learner
I understand that anything can happen if you work hard for it
I say I want food
I dream of finishing college
I try to travel the world and visit my home country
I hope to make a difference in someone’s life

I am a giver and a learner

I am witty and practical
I wonder which places I’ll visit
I hear many voices
I see many possibilities
I want to have fun

I am witty and practical
I feel that life is hard
I touch the soul of an angel
I worry that nothing changes
I cry about contradictions

I am witty and practical
I understand the world is my oyster
I say that fate is unwritten
I dream that everyone finds peace
I try to live to my fullest potential
I hope to find answers

I am witty and practical


I am artistic and quiet
I wonder what scholarships I’ll take
I hear the chattering of people
I see the friendships they hold
I want to help my mother

I am artistic and quiet
I feel a cold breeze
I touch the frozen glass outside
I worry about what I will become
I cry of being alone

I am artistic and quiet
I understand that life is not easy
I say that sometimes you can’t trust people
I dream of helping my family
I try to make an effort to get a job
I hope I can reach my goals

I am artistic and quiet