Christina Hsu: Hsu Took Leadership in Poetry and Public Policy

By the time she arrived at Duke, Christina Hsu figured she would study law or medicine - a career path "deemed successful in college terms and parent terms."

But her heart wasn't in either. It took an internship at the Washington, D.C.-based Organization for Chinese Americans and a Duke course in Asian American literature for her to fully understand why. In the class, taught by visiting professor Seung Hye Suh, Hsu recalls learning Asian American history and contemporary issues through the eyes of Asian American authors. She said she felt "like a black person reading about slavery for the first time."

The internship and the class awakened in her a sense of purpose and a cultural identity she never felt as the only Asian American woman in her high school class in Charleston, S.C., where she was student council leader.

"I found a home in public policy," said Hsu, a 21-year-old senior. "I knew I wanted the skills and knowledge to back up what I believe to be true. If you really concentrate your efforts on something you believe in, things will fall into place."

 

Hsu, whose family now lives in Tacoma, Wash., is best known on campus as the student who spearheaded a movement to start an Asian American Studies Department.

Inspired by Suh's teaching, Hsu learned that other Asian American Studies programs at major universities were created after student protests. She penned a 40-page proposal outlining a timeline for creating a department with a dedicated faculty.

Hsu rallied a diverse group of students to support the mission. She led a teach-in and a rally, made a national call for letters of support, helped collect hundreds of petition signatures and landed a series of meetings with Duke's top academic officers.

Why is an Asian American Studies department worth fighting for? Hsu said it would enliven campus discourse on many interethnic and cultural issues as well as activate students outside of the classroom.

"It breaks down traditional paradigms," Hsu said. "It's a framework for opening minds and looking at society critically on local and transnational levels."

Hsu only reluctantly calls herself the movement's leader. She is quick to credit fellow students for their efforts - and to point out that the work is far from done.

The university has awarded grants to existing faculty in other disciplines to develop courses that have an Asian American Studies component; it has also provided funding for an Asian American Studies symposium. But so far, there is no new department - and no promise to hire faculty dedicated to Asian American Studies. A task force continues to meet.

"If Duke really commits to Asian American Studies, it will be the leading institution in the South with ethnic studies programs," Hsu said. "That's really amazing."

Hsu found other venues at Duke to develop her leadership skills and create change. A public policy major with a minor in Asian and African Languages and Literature, Hsu was president of the Asian Students Association, a resident advisor and a crew leader for Project B.U.I.L.D. She taught a course on the U.S. welfare system.

And she found an outlet for another passion: poetry.

She co-founded Local Colour, Duke's first spoken word performing arts group. Its performances tackle issues of diversity, social movements and politics.

"We're bringing in words and lyrics and poetry that thrust people outside their comfort zone," she explained. "It's a real raw form of poetry, where open feelings are expressed and dialogue is encouraged."

Among the professors who have inspired her is Leo Ching, associate professor of Japanese language and culture.

"He's brilliant, but more important, he really emphasized redefining the paradigms to look through," Hsu said. "He taught me to be comfortable with ambiguity and never take anything at face value."

Hsu has impressed Ching, too.

Ching, who serves on the Asian American Studies task force, first knew Hsu as an activist. This semester, she was his student. In both arenas, he said, Hsu did thorough research to support her arguments.

"Her strength is that she's really good at communicating with people. That's what makes her a good leader," Ching said. "She's firm and direct, but not abrasive. She has an integrity. You know she's never saying something she doesn't believe in."

After graduation, Hsu plans to use a Fulbright scholarship to research the rural elderly in China and their access to the media and support services. She knows the work is a departure from her activism on campus, but it tracks her academic interests.

"I'm very fascinated by the elderly," Hsu said. "As a bloc, they aren't seen as a group that gives back to the economy, so they're neglected."

Eventually, she plans to return to the U.S. to get a master's in public policy. She envisions pursuing a career that combines her two top interests: international affairs and the aging poor.

For now, though, she is content to go with the flow. If her trip to China is cancelled because of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, she knows she will find another place to leave her mark as she grows intellectually, spiritually and personally.

She certainly left her mark at Duke.

"She started something," Ching said. "This is an inspiration for other students. It's a good legacy."