My name is Shana. I’m half Indian/Pakistani and Half German/Irish.
My dad was born and raised in Kolkata, India, and his side of the family married into, and associates with Pakistani culture. My mom is German and Irish and was raised in New York.
I’m a southerner that associates with the Latino culture around me as much as I do with my ethnic identity. Once I discovered what Hapa meant and this website, I was thrilled because now in grad school a lot of my research is specifically on dual-ethnic identity.
I will present my research on dual-ethnic identity this year at the national Conference on College Composition and Communication and will introduce HapaVoice.com in my presentation.
It’s so gratifying to know that there is a validation, a term even more so, for the experience of mixed ethnic identity – that we do not have to claim only one heritage or depict some expected appearance.
Hapa Voice 