“Follow your dreams.” When we were kids, we were told that all the time. Teachers say it. Relatives say it. Even Disney merchandise say it. But what they don't tell you, is that sometimes, it doesn't matter how much you want that dream to come true. Sometimes dreams will never happen. No matter how hard you try, society can be unfair. And that's what I believe.

How many famous actors or singers do you know that are Asian, or at least look Asian? Because pointing out the facts, you would rarely see Asians land leads as actors or become super famous in the performing arts business. I wouldn't be surprised if the only popular Asians you know are Jackie Chen and Bruce Lee. Ali Ewoldt was the first Asian-American to land a lead on Broadway’s “Phantom” in 2016. Even so, I can't name a single Asian person who’s been on Broadway besides her. If that's not all, let's take a look at what most Americans are familiar with: the radio. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Zendaya, you name it. How many of those celebrities have any trace of Asian genes in them? None. Zero. And that all connects back to me because my parents are Chinese. I was born in America, but I certainly look Asian. So you do the math. My chances of making it big in the performing arts world are so slim it's like finding a needle in a haystack just because I look Asian.

Since I was a little girl, still bathing in the spotlight of being the only child, my parents have always wanted me to get jobs like doctor, lawyer, scientist or engineer. But as I grew up, I realized that those were my parents’ dreams. Not mine. My dream was to be able to act and sing every day of my life. Landing the lead on Broadway, or becoming a famous movie star. My parents knew that it was never going to happen. I still remember when I was in third grade and we had to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Elated, I wrote about being a Disney Channel actress. When my mom was editing my response, she changed the whole thing so that instead, my dream was to become a director. I never forgot what she said that day. “Being an actress is too hard to write about, Grace. How much can you write about a dream that will never come true?” Tears pouring out of my eyes, I stomped upstairs and slammed the door to my bedroom. Since that day, I opened my eyes to reality. I finally accepted that my dream was just a dream. I realized that even though America is all about equal rights and equal opportunities, Americans just don't really accept people of this race to become huge stars. They are not used to it, and it's hard for them to get used to it.

I thought that my parents were cold-hearted and mean for not telling me to follow my dreams. I realized that they were protecting me. Protecting someone may prevent him/her from getting hurt. They were protecting me from a society that isn't always fair to everyone. I may not be able to follow my past dream, however I’ll find another dream to follow. My biggest dream will always be that society will change and equal opportunities will be given to all people. Hey, we were always told to dream big. And that's exactly what I'm doing.