Rian Bato describes isolation as Filipino immigrant and need for inclusive curriculum

Good afternoon.

First, I want to thank Chair Dean Witz and the rest of the council for allowing this conversation.

My name is Rian Bato, and I am a senior at Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences High School.

I'm also a youth advocate with the Asian American Student Advocacy Project, ASAP.

In my perspective, being a global citizen is being open to people who come from different backgrounds and understanding that everyone has their own unique experiences.

This means actually taking time to listen and learn from others.

I was born in the Philippines and only recently moved to New York in 2022.

As one of the few Filipinos in my school, I felt isolated.

I had nobody else who related to my experiences, and it felt like I didn't have a community in school.

My peers made assumptions about me based on my AAPI identity and expected me to fit certain stereotypes, like being smart and quiet.

If my school had prepared us all to be global citizens with an inclusive curriculum that helps students learn, understand different backgrounds and experiences, along with support to help students like me navigate cultural changes, I would have been...

better prepared to thrive academically and socially.

Being a global citizen requires us to be reflective and future focused as well.

To me, this means being able to look back on my own experiences, recognize how they shaped me, and think about how I can use what I learned to make things better in the future for others.

When I was stressed or struggling, it could feel like I was supposed to handle it all by myself.

These experiences made me realize how difficult it can be to take care of your mental health when you don't always feel comfortable speaking up or showing that you're struggling.

I know many other AAPI youth like myself have felt the same way.

Many AAPI students deal with stereotypes, academic pressure, cultural expectations, and stigma around mental health.

The model minority myth pushes this even further by making AAPI students feel like they have to struggle on their own.

Schools have a responsibility to help students become global citizens, reflective, and future-focused.

But they often put so much focus on grades that students don't get opportunities to learn about different cultures, the time to have meaningful conversations, or to reflect on their own experiences.

If schools can create spaces and opportunities for this, students can become more understanding of others while also learning how to take care of themselves and their communities.

Thank you.

Salamat po.