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Did
your parents have Ivy Dreams for you?
Joy Huang:
Our parents absolutely had Ivy Dreams for us – they both graduated from
Columbia University and both have their doctorate degrees. A good
education was expected, supported, and reinforced daily in our
household, whether it was schoolwork, piano, or leisurely activities.
They wanted us to commit to whatever we were doing, and do it well. The
ultimate goal wasn't just to excel at an Ivy League college; it was
about having a successful career, being an overachiever, and then some.
What appealed
to you most about the project?
JH: I understood where these kids were coming from
and had experienced it for myself, especially having immigrant
parents who want and expect only the best for their children. So
these students end up spending most of their time trying to get good
grades, trying to please their parents, and somewhere in there,
trying to be a normal teenager.
Back in the day when I was a high school senior, I
yearned for the life that only exists in John Hughes/Molly Ringwald
movies (and where is Jake Ryan these days?), but was committed to my
family and focused on my schoolwork – I got decent grades, ran several
after school clubs, and applied to all of the Ivy League schools,
because those were the schools that I always heard were the best in the
country, so why not aim for the best? I didn't get in to any of them,
but that's another story....
Why did you
choose to capture these stories in a documentary feature film as
opposed to a narrative feature?
JH: If I stick with my John Hughes references, these
kids were our Asian-American documentary version of The Breakfast
Club – the princess (Sophie), the jock (Mike), the nerd (Diana, and
a self-proclaimed one at that), and the
as-close-to-as-rebellious-as-you-can-get rebel (Michelle).
And some of the things that came out of the students'
mouths (and their parents!) were truly unbelievable. You can't help but
gasp at some of the comments from the parents, or anxiously await to see
if any of the kids get into their schools of choice. There are so many
moments of truth that are so deeply genuine and sometimes shocking,
that, for this project, documentary-style was the only way for us to go.
And if you had the chance to read the Time magazine cover story called
"Dropout Nation,” they talked about the dropout rate for whites (33%),
Blacks (50%), and Hispanics (50%) -- but not Asian -- Ivy Dreams shows
you why 90% of Asian-Americans graduate from high school.
Is the Ivy
Dream linked to the pursuit of the American Dream? Why or why not?
JH: Many immigrant parents, not just the Asian ones,
come to America and hope that their children will have a better life
than they did, filled with more independence, more opportunities and
more rewards. In the Asian culture, this begins with education. In
some unscientific way, the Ivy Dream is probably connected to the
American dream – having Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth,
Columbia, Brown, Cornell, or U Penn on a resume automatically sets
one person apart from another -- a beginning step toward the
American Dream.
What impact do
you want Ivy Dreams to have? What lessons do you want parents and
students to take away from the documentary?
JH: I hope that people – both parents and students –
take the time to talk with one another and figure out what schools
best fit their child's skills, interests, goals – and then work
together to visit the schools as early as possible, learn as much as
possible, apply, and support whatever decision he/she makes. And
they should all open their minds to the incredible opportunities
that other non-Ivy schools offer.
I also hope that teenagers who watch the show use this
as a springboard for an open and honest discussion with their parents,
especially if they see any similar behavior in any of the parents who
are in the doc. It's sometimes very difficult to speak with parents, as
opposed to just being spoken to, but maybe after watching the doc with
them, one may just start by saying, "Dad, that's kind of like how you
treat me."
Besides the
documentary’s cable release, do you envision an educational use for
the film? If so, how would you like guidance counselors and
educators to incorporate Ivy Dreams into their curriculum?
JH: I hope that people don't think that this is just
for an Asian audience – the theme is universal – we've all gone
through the college process, several of us have children or
relatives who are in high school, I even have friends in New York
who have seen this and can even relate it to what they have to
currently go through just to get their children into nursery school!
I'd like for guidance counselors and educators to
use it early in the year, at the second PTA meeting, a special
parent-teacher night (followed up with discussions with counselors),
college fairs, etc. to show parents and students that the college
process needs to start early and needs to be a team effort. The show can
handily fit in one after-school session, a college guidance meeting, and
shown as early as freshman year.
M
September 2006
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