导师编号120558

At the age of seven my younger brother and I transferred to a primary school in Hong Kong while my parents stayed in Guangzhou. It was a difficult time: I had to assume the role of caregiver and place my brothers needs above my own. Furthermore at twelve I realized I was attracted to girls. I stayed in denial of my sexual orientation for over four years. I used to think that being a member of a sexual minority was abnormal and unacceptable I was even told that I was sick. Later as an out member of the LGBT community I faced discrimination in Hong Kong. As a lesbian a vegetarian and a mainlander my failure to conform made me a prime target for bullying. Furthermore within the Hong Kong local curriculum science was not highly regarded for girls. My allgirls school only selected our science grades at 70% GPA weight compared to humanities subjects. We were taught that girls should focus on humanities and languages instead of science and math. In other words what I was passionate about was less important than other subjects that did not feel right for me. After transferring to an international school I was finally presented with the idea that even though there are fewer women than men in the field of physics the individual contributions of women have been significant. Finally I value myself and my talents regardless of the recognition and opinions of others.and Wiping out ignorancebased resentful attitudes towards members of sexual minorities is my dream. I know the road will be long. I have no doubt that Hong Kong will be LGBT friendly someday but currently there are no laws to protect us. Its disheartening and terrifying. Thats why I find so much comfort when I am immersing myself in math and physics as if my burden has been lifted. I want to be part of an environment where for the first time in my life I will be defined for my achievements and abilities instead of solely through the lens of my sexual orientation and my gender.