English | Japanese
Growing up there were very few East Asian children around me. Due to racist remarks (targeting my Japanese side) during primary school from some of my classmates, I think I leaned more towards my English side growing up. Reflecting on it, that's really sad isn't it? I remember there was even a period I went through that I wanted to change my name to a more English sounding one, which actually embarrasses me now as I deeply love and appreciate my name and my mix. My secondary school was diverse, had a focus on languages and prided itself on being international, and I had also come to be more confident and proud of my heritage.
To help tackle racial inequality, I think mixing between people from different cultures and backgrounds should be encouraged and normalised. I’m eternally thankful that I grew up exposed to such a diverse range of cultures and have been able to travel to different countries from Sri Lanka to Nigeria, Bangladesh to Vietnam. When I say travel to, I don't mean via a package holiday or sitting by the pool, but by volunteering, staying with people who live there, or making conscious efforts to immerse myself in and learn about the country's history and culture. I think some people are actually fearful or have a dislike of people who are different to them but have actually never sat down and had a conversation together or shared a meal. This exposure and interaction will help people realise that WE ARE ALL HUMAN, and that racism needs to end.
I love mentoring others. I had a mentor at 17 who raised my aspirations and made the world a bigger place. He helped me massively and I now feel able to mentor others and I even set up my own mentoring programme at work. I think having role models and people to look up to is so important, particularly for young people, which is why I’m often finding ways to support and encourage the next generation. Recently, I volunteered for @wowglobal as part of International Day of the Girl, to mentor girls from East London, which is where I grew up. Particularly exciting it was on the @londoneye, being most of the girls’ first time on there.
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