What causes us to create fixed perceptions about people who differ from us in terms of cultural, ethnic, religious, or societal backgrounds? According to Dr. Gabriel Higuera, people are conditioned to hold certain biases from institutions that only seek to create divides between groups of people in attempts to “other” them. Higuera taught this concept of the Cycle of Socialization to a group of students at recent conference on ethnic studies.

On  May 26, a handful of high schoolers from GAPS participated in Portland Community College’s Ethnic Studies Conference. Out of the attendees, junior Gigi Roldan and I were present at the conference. We were impressed by how comfortable we were speaking to other attendees along with how easy it was to share our experiences and be granted the space to indulge in the difficult experiences others have shouldered throughout their schooling career. During the conference, Gigi and I were able to learn so much more about what Ethnic Studies are about as well as realize that Ethnic Studies are so much more than just a historical subject that you study in school. In fact, many Ethnic Studies students take active roles in their communities to begin the process of dismantling systems that actively harm marginalized groups. 

“I’m really grateful to be granted the opportunity to attend the conference. It really opened my eyes to the fact that others really do care about these kinds of issues,” junior Gigi Roldan said. “I was given the offer by [social studies teacher Jodi] Howell and was curious about what this conference would be about, but I ended up really enjoying my time there.” 

There we were able to attend a variety of sessions that were led by professionals, teachers, Ethnic Studies students, and

students attending the conference. The presenters not only taught the audience about their topics but also challenged the audience to broaden their preconceived perceptions of societal issues that have been stereotyped or politicized. 

In the student-led seminar we attended, the panelists took questions from the audience at the end of their presentations. Gigi and I are genuinely excited to attend the next conference later this year in December and hopefully return to the event as presenters. 

Overall, we felt proud of being Asian Americans and being able to meet other amazing students from around the Willamette Valley and forming lasting connections with exceptionally inspiring individuals.