What Michelle Yeohs success means to Asian American women like me [Video]

Growing up Chinese American, I always wanted to be a writer, but my family viewed it as a ludicrous idea. My research scientist father made it very clear that the only accomplishments that mattered were in the sciences. “I did not sacrifice all of this for my child to go on to be something frivolous,” he said on more than one occasion.

This sentiment that a career in STEM is the desired path is not uncommon within the Asian American community — although we represent 6.2% of the overall U.S. population, we account for 13% of workers in science, technology, engineering and math fields, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

So, it was particularly moving for me, in late February, when Michelle Yeoh won the Screen Actors Guild award for best actress in a leading role for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,”after having scooped up an …