Back in boarding school, Lunar New Year barely registered on my calendar. With only five Chinese students in my grade and about twenty in the entire school, I was caught between two worlds — immersed in a Western environment while carrying a cultural heritage I wasn’t sure how to express. I built deep friendships and embraced new traditions, but in doing so, I left parts of my own behind. Lunar New Year became something I hesitated to celebrate, unsure whether fully embracing it would set me apart. I wasn’t rejecting my culture — I was simply unsure how to integrate it into my evolving identity.
Coming to Notre Dame changed that. I found myself in a much larger, more diverse community — not just of Chinese students but of people from different backgrounds who were open to learning about each other’s cultures. I began to embrace diversity and differences, realizing that what I once misunderstood in high school was, in fact, what brings people together. Differences don’t pull people apart; rather, it is in trying to understand them that we build the strongest connections. We constantly seek peaceful coexistence, but what’s even more important is how we turn seemingly conflicting ideas into complementary ones. Every culture, every perspective has something to offer, and by learning from one another, we expand our own understanding of the world.
This year, as my friends and I gathered to make dumplings, watch the Spring Festival Gala and share stories of home, I realized how much this holiday had grown in significance for me. It was no longer just about the traditions — it was about the people. Our community may be small compared to the broader campus, but it is powerful.
Despite coming from different academic backgrounds and personal journeys, we are united by a shared understanding of what it means to celebrate this festival away from home. We’ve created our own sense of belonging, and that solidarity has been one of the most meaningful parts of my college experience. It reminds me that no matter where we are, we can carry our culture with us — not as something separate from our lives here, but as an integral part of who we are.
One of the most profound expressions of this is the Chinese New Year Gala hosted by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA). This is a communal event where students of Chinese heritage come together to celebrate the commencement of the new year.
Watching performances, sharing home-made meals and simply being surrounded by people who understand the meaning of this festival has reaffirmed something I once struggled with: identity is not about choosing between cultures. It is about embracing the multitude of aspects that make us who we are. Surrounded by people that share my cultural background, I have come to the realization that, within the greater Notre Dame community, there are countless smaller communities, each adding its own unique energy and spirit to campus life. Being part of one of these close-knit groups doesn’t make me any less a part of the larger Notre Dame family — in fact, it enriches my experience.
Whether it’s celebrating traditions, sharing common interests or simply finding people who feel like home, these smaller circles are what make the broader community even more special. At the end of the day, we are all part of Notre Dame, connected by the same spirit that brings us together.
This process of identity exploration has been one of the most valuable parts of my time at Notre Dame. I’ve realized that identity isn’t something fixed or singular — it is fluid, ever-changing and shaped by our experiences. The person I was in high school was someone who prioritized fitting in over standing out, who thought that embracing another culture meant making compromises in his own. But today, I see that identity is composed of many layers, each one influenced by the people we meet, the places we live and the traditions we hold onto.
No one’s identity is made up of just one thing. We are the sum of our experiences, and the more we engage with others, the more we learn about ourselves.
Reconciling with differences is an essential part of this journey. When I was younger, I saw differences as potential obstacles, things that had to be overcome in order to build connections. But now, I see them as opportunities — opportunities to learn, to grow and to find common ground in unexpected places. The friends I’ve made at Notre Dame come from all walks of life, and through them, I’ve discovered that cultural exchange is not just about sharing traditions — it’s about reshaping our perspectives, challenging our assumptions and finding unity in diversity.
Lunar New Year has become more than just a holiday for me — it is a reminder that our identities are not fixed, but ever-evolving. It is through engaging with others, through embracing both our heritage and the new cultures we immerse ourselves in, that we truly come to understand who we are. As we step into the new year, I carry this warmth with me, knowing that no matter where life takes us, the journey of discovering our identity continues, strengthened by the communities we build along the way.
At the heart of it all, the exploration of identity is about balance. It’s about learning to celebrate our differences while finding the threads that connect us. It’s about acknowledging the complexities of who we are and allowing those complexities to enrich, rather than divide, our experiences. In my search for identity, I’ve realized that we don’t have to fit into predefined categories — we can create our own. We can be both, we can be many and we can be whole. And that, more than anything, is something worth celebrating.
Molly Wu is a sophomore studying political science and economics. While she was originally from Beijing, China, she went to a boarding school in New Jersey since high school. Growing in an envionrment that stresses the importance of diversity, she enjoys absorbing and sharing different perspectives. You can contact her at lwu5@nd.edu.
