I will never let living in America deteriorate my identity as an Indonesian.

America is a country where an individual’s identity can be lost, altered, and resurrected. From when the first Europeans set foot on the soil of an unknown world, to what millions of immigrants who now call America their home, the identities of those individuals will inevitably change over time. As each generation pass, a piece of their identity will slowly fade.

The question “where are you from?” stirs the ambiguity in people’s perception of what their identity is. I believe that the initial response to this question equates to the level of pride one has for what they associate themselves with. When the question “where are you from” is posed to me, my response is and will always be “Indonesian”.

I was born and raised in New York City and the only exposure I had to Indonesia were my parents. Growing up in a multicultural environment makes it hard for anyone to stay connected with their roots. Through my cycle of social circles, I have always been around American born Indonesians who didn’t speak Bahasa or identify themselves as being Indonesian. As I progressed through the American education system, I have rarely encountered Indonesians in any of my classes. I found myself always being the only Indonesian which in turn stimulated my curiosity to learn as much as I could about who I am and where I’m from. The more I learned, the more I wanted to educate others on Indonesia.

As many Indonesians living in America know, many people don’t even know where Indonesia is on a map. Despite being the fourth populous country, the lack of public familiarity is upsetting. From grammar school to my post graduate studies, I have always tried to change this by incorporating Indonesia in every academic assignment I did. I even participated in the Flag Raising Team (Paskibra) for the New York Indonesian Consulate to strengthen my nationalism. I made being Indonesian as much a part of my life as I could.

Every time I meet an Indonesian, whether in school, at work or randomly I will always make the effort to connect with them since being Indonesian is something we share. I am proud to be Indonesian because it is who I am and I will never let living in America deteriorate my identity as an Indonesian.

At age 25, I have a master’s degree from a reputable university and work for one of the largest accounting firms in the world. I associate all of my successes and accomplishments with being Indonesian. I firmly believe that I represent Indonesia in everything I do as a contributing citizen in America. I am proud to be from a country that I know will become a major player in the world’s economic future. I can’t say I am truly American because my roots are not engrained in this land. I don’t believe being born somewhere defines your identity but lies within my heritage and roots. My family is Indonesian; therefore I am Indonesian.

Rico Kasladinata Setyo currently works in the Risk Assurance Practice in the Internal Audit Services group at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has worked in the Internal Audit field for over four years helping organizations from various industries like banking, manufacturing and entertainment with managing their risks. He holds a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Syracuse University. He was born and raised in Jackson Heights in the borough of Queens New York by Indonesian immigrant parents.