The One-point-5 Blog shares the journeys of 1.5-generation immigrants as they navigate the challenges of identity, belonging, language, and culture.

When I first moved to the States in middle school, I didn’t have the opportunity to enroll in a well-developed ESL program with teachers who were familiar with cultural differences and the language-learning barriers that immigrant students can face.

After college, I moved back to Taiwan and began teaching English. A few months into teaching, I started to realize where my own strengths were.

As an immigrant and second-language learner, I have a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and I understand many of the challenges that language learners can encounter—especially adolescents and young adults who are trying to adjust to a new linguistic and cultural environment.

My own struggles with language, identity, and belonging have given me a perspective that I didn’t appreciate when I was younger. What I once saw as weaknesses have gradually become some of my greatest strengths.

I’d like to use those strengths to support language learners in my community while continuing to learn, explore, and gain new perspectives in the fields of language, education, immigration, and identity.

The One-point-5 Blog is one way for me to make sense of my own journey while creating a space for others who may have gone through something similar.