Mike Chang grew up with two parents, a mother and a father, and no siblings. Although him and his parents were that of the same Chinese heritage, something separated them— their blood. Mike was adopted by them when he was a newborn found by his mother on a street in China. His adoptive parents never did the investigative work to find out exactly why Mike was left on a street but considering China’s overpopulation, poverty, the One Child Act, and so on, the possibilities were rather endless. It seemed like something better left unknown rather than looked in to, especially since the two who took Mike in to their care loved the little boy from day one. When Mike was a sophomore in high school having to do a project for a Child Development chapter in his AP Life Biology class, he had asked his mother questions about the labor process and rather than lie to him, she admitted, with her husband, that Mike was adopted. They explained the situation and although it was a bomb for the young man, he accepted it.

After moving to America when he was five, Mike was given a fairly good life than compared to most. His father worked in a law firm who represented cases that needed someone who was bi-lingual, his mother was an International Relations agent for a financial company, and so the Changs lived comfortably as well as together. At least in the sense they were a family. With his parents constantly busy with work, Mike was then interested in following suit by keeping himself busy with various things like cooking, karate, fencing, basketball, football, networking, learning instruments, comic books, graphic designing, Glee club, Asian Student Union, Decathlon team, and so on. His parents knew about all of Mike’s activities, though his father only gave recognition to the ones that were sports or academic related which made Mike often stay quiet about his love for alternate universes, music, dance, and creative expression in general.

Now that he is a graduate, Mike plans to go to Stanford. He had certainly looked at the art schools in places like San Francisco, but his parents strongly encouraged him to go for a practical major to lead to a practical job. Considering Mike had been docile most of his life, he didn’t go against it and has planned on following his mother’s foot steps in looking at International Relations at the University. Though grad school was likely in his future as well. Although he is interested in the major he decided on, he also knows that he isn’t passionate about it like he should be. The idea of doing a job that would require him to express the voice of others in a business setting rather than express himself in an artistic one doesn’t sit well with him. However, he can’t find himself doing anything to go against the grain of his parents since they had never understood his love of various art forms.

Mike feels that he must be loyal to his parent’s wishes due to the Chinese traditions he grew up with and because they adopted him when he had no family of his own. There are days where he wants to find his parents, both or just one of them, just to see what the situation of his adoption was and maybe discover certain aspects that he shares about them but not with his adoptive parents. Those thoughts never last long since he feels guilty and ungrateful when they come around