Kaelyn Do

Kaelyn was born and raised in Indonesia, and later came to the U.S. for college. She went to the same international school in Indonesia her entire life, which had a diverse group of students. Kaelyn’s mom is Chinese Indonesian, and her dad is Vietnamese. However, the way they raised Kaelyn made her feel more like an American, so she was not completely accepted as Chindo back home. After moving to the U.S, she hung out with many American students, but later realized that her value is very Asian. She was also surprised that some American students she interacted with did not understand other cultures. Because of this, she started to hang out with more international students because she felt that they were more similar to her. During Kaelyn’s time in the U.S., there were Indonesian students that told her she was not a true Indonesian, and there were also American students that told her she was not a true American. This confusion also influenced what she thought her future entailed. Now, Kaelyn cares more about what she does in life, rather than living in a specific location.