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May is Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month which celebrates and honors the rich culture that Asians and Pacific Islanders have brought to America. On May 7th, 1843, the first immigrant from Japan entered the States, and on May 10th, 1869, the transcontinental railroad was built, which many Chinese immigrants worked on. These two significant dates are the reason why the month of May was chosen.

In today’s feature story, Sarah Hart shares her story, challenges, and joys of being an Asian American woman. Sarah was born in the Guangzhou Province in China. She was found on museum stairs and was taken to an orphanage. At ten months, she was adopted by her parents, Heidi and Bryan Hart. She lived in the suburbs of Delaware until the age of eight and then moved to Wellsboro, PA. Sarah has loved living in Wellsboro while she has met amazing people and encompassed small-town values. Currently, she is about to go into her senior year at Mansfield University with a major in business administration and a minor in professional writing.

Moving in the future, Sarah hopes that people realize that everyone is a person, and some can be easily damaged by what others say. Asian Americans are usually more reserved yet incredibly hard workers. She expresses that Asian Americans have been more hesitant to speak up for themselves in the past because of their quiet personas. Sarah also hopes that Asian and Pacific Islander Americans begin to be better represented in media. Growing up, she would always identify with the Asian character or doll in a book or movie. Many do not realize the impact of seeing someone in media that looks like you. In doing this, more children of all ethnicities can identify and relate to various characters for inspiration.