Category: Lifting Voices

Name: Naomi Rodriguez
Mix: Black & White (Colombian-Puerto Rican)
Major & Year: Interarts Performance (Stamps & SMTD); Junior

Born and raised in Miami-Hialeah, Florida

Q: How has being mixed affected your campus experience?

A: I never realized how my looks are perceived until I was placed in the context of a predominantly white space. Being mixed began to cause confusion to people I meet to the point where I became confused with myself. I became so insecure about my closeness to a community and what community would even claim me. Because of that, it took me such a long time to find people I can relate to and feel welcomed. Even to this day, sometimes I feel hesistancy, from myself mainly, because of my lack of confidence in a space. However, the friends I’ve been making in these communities have helped me feel more comfortable being me; the combination of what my ancestors came to be.

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: That it is very complicated. Sometimes people ask me questions about things as if I know, or I’m expected to speak for a community. Especially as an artist, a lot of my work is informed by my experience and the stories of my family, and sometimes I’m tired of my art being seen as a ‘protest.’ I make things to tell stories of my family and the ancestors I never got to meet, it helps me understand my story and bring communities together. It’s tiring having to educate people especially when your history is tied to colonialism and slavery.

Q: What is your proudest moment?

A: I finally made a piece titled “chains & links,” that comments on my mother heritage and ancestry, which is Afro/Indigenous Colombian. It finally felt like a perfect combination of what my mother has taught me growing up while teaching her about the care of textured hair.

Q: What are you most anxious about right now?

A: I’m anxious about the stories of my people disappearing. In Latino America, a lot of history related to slavery and indigenous peoples are becoming lost especially through immigration, and I think it’s our generations love and honor that needs to continue thee stories.

Q: What kind of person do you aspire to be?

A: Someone who is a listener. There is so many people with their own stories to tell and I hope to become a space that can have people feel welcomed and heard.

Q: Who is the most influential person in your life?

A: My mother. Everything I do has been in honor of her. My work is an extension of her passion and I hope to one day bring her into my work and we both become creators.

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!

Name: Grace Sirman
Mix: Mexican & White-American
Major & Year: Art; Junior

Disabled and queer

Q: How has being mixed affected your campus experience?

A: It was a bit of culture shock coming to the Midwest, coming from a small, predominantly Latinx neighborhood. I get homesick very often, and my mixed identity made me a bit insecure about engaging with Latinx campus organizations initially because of my upbringing and my appearance, but many of the Latinx individuals involved are very welcoming and I appreciate all the acceptance I’ve encountered.

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: The mixed experience is very unique for everybody, and there is a vibrant perspective many mixed identities can offer! Everyone is approaching their mixed identity differently, and mixed people should not be forced to choose or represent one ethnicity/race or the other. There are many complexities that come with a mixed identity!

Q: What is your proudest moment?

A: As a Latina first generation college student who struggles with disability, making it to college in the first place is something I will always be proud of myself for achieving. My parents had no idea how any of the application process worked, and neither did I. But somehow I figured it out, and now I’m here!

Q: What kind of person do you aspire to be?

A: I want to be unapologetic about myself. I’m not quite there yet, but I want to be someone who owns their personality loudly, especially with bold makeup, a colorful wardrobe, and who doesn’t care what others have to say about myself.

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!

Name: Sophia Davis
Mix: Khmer & White-American
Major & Year: Astronomy & Astrophysics; Junior

Q: How has being mixed affected your campus experience?

A: It’s a bit of a bittersweet thing. I grew up in the Memphis metro area where there is a pretty decently sized Khmer community. My only issue was that I did not see a lot of Asian people in general in high school and in my day to day life. I come to Michigan, and I have met not only more Asian people but mixed people as well that understand the uniqueness of coming from a mixed background. While I have been happy to meet people that I can relate to and understand what it means to mixed, I have met very, very few people that are Khmer. It has been hard keeping connected to my culture when I’m so far away from my hometown, and I don’t see my family as often. It was a bit isolating at first, but it’s been more of push to go out of my way to stay involved in my culture.

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: I wish more people understood that it is my choice how I identify and present myself. I grew up in a conservative southern town where I never quite fit the mold. With my dad being white and my mom being Khmer, I was born into a dichotomous cultural upbringing. I was either “too Asian” or “not Asian enough” just depending on who was making the judgment. I did not feel like I had a sense of community as I had no one to relate to identity-wise. Yes, there was my everloving mom, but how could I manage to look at the woman that gave me life and tell her I was ashamed of the gift she gave me? Yes, there was my younger brother, but how could I place this burden of thought upon someone I am supposed to uplift and inspire? It became such an omnipresent issue that it even began to translate and present itself in other aspects of my life such as academia. There were cultural expectations to succeed and never fail because the work I put in is a direct reflection of my family. There were societal expectations such as the “Model Minority” that negatively reinforced damaging stereotypes. For me, these standards often clashed with each other, creating my toxified perspective on education and school. I wanted to be the best because I felt as if that was what was expected of me by everyone. There was also nothing worse than putting countless hours of work and effort into a project only for the praise to be followed by “because she’s Asian!” Coming to Michigan has transformed my racial imposter syndrome. It was oddly cathartic to see so many multiracial people that understood the exact emotions and situations that I had also experienced. I loved being able to talk through it. We learned from each other, listened to each other, and continue to help uplift each other. I still struggle with it, but I am learning as I go. It is more than okay to love all of myself while recognizing the privilege and struggle in my identity. How I define myself is not based on anyone’s expectations or preconceived notions whether that be family, friend, or stranger. I am not meant to be told what I am; I tell others about myself.

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!

Name: Sydney Foster
Mix: Black & White
Major & Year: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity; Senior

Like tennis, K-dramas, dancing, and nature (amphibians, fungi, and rodents are my favorites)

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: Being mixed does not make someone “less” of one of their races or cultures.

Q: What is your proudest moment?

A: Jumping in Mud Lake at UMBS. I always thought I hated swimming, so I never did it much. I’m happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and had a really memorable experience.

Q: What are you most anxious about right now?

A: The future. I am graduating in the fall then going on to a gap year. I’m just not super sure what’s in store for me, but I’m excited!

Q: What kind of person do you aspire to be?

A: I aspire to be someone known for their humility and individuality.

Q: Who is the most influential person in your life?

A: The most influential person in my life is myself. I make some decisions willy-nilly, but I think it prevents me from talking myself out of great opportunities.

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!