The Huskies are proud to celebrate Asian Heritage Month through profiling the diverse and inspiring backgrounds of some of our Asian student-athletes. Below we hear from Huskie Women's Soccer's Jenna Steacy on her Chinese heritage, culture, family, traditions and how it's shaped the person she is today.

What is your family heritage?

I am half Chinese and half Caucasian. My Chinese background comes from my mom's side. Both of her parents are Cantonese. My mom and all 6 of her siblings were born in Canada, but both her parents immigrated from mainland China.

When did your family come to Canada and why?

My Gung Gung (grandpa) came to Canada in 1953 with his older sister and brother to have a better opportunity for his future. My Popo (grandma) came to Canada in 1965 to get married to my Gung Gung through an arranged marriage. She also wanted to come to Canada for better opportunities.

How do you celebrate your heritage?

We celebrate our heritage mainly through family gathering and feasts with certain traditional foods. Our biggest and most important gathering is Chinese New Year which happens in February of each year. Foods include noodles for long life, chicken for family unity and prosperity, and oranges for luck and success. We also have traditional red envelopes that are given out at Chinese New Year, gatherings and birthdays. They are given to younger generations to show they care. 

My Popo took care of me throughout my youth and would always bring me a traditional Chinese bun called Mantou. She has continued to bring them pretty much every time I am back in Edmonton. It's really special to me. 

Before I moved to Saskatoon, my family would attend something called the Wong's banquet which, funny enough, is a big gathering of everyone with the last name Wong in a huge restaurant, eating dim sum together and celebrating our family. I could go on and on about food, including my obsession of going to Chinese hotpot with best friends, but it really is a gathering to celebrate love, care, and closeness. 
 

How did your culture, heritage and upbringing shape you into who you are today? 

My culture has taught me the importance of family, resilience and hard work. It's through these values that I've realized my family's love is not just a spoken thing but felt through unconditional support and care. Growing up I've witnessed many of the sacrifices my family has made to give me a better life. From my mom living on a couple dollars a day in university, and working so hard to establish herself, to my Grandparents moving from China and working endless hours to feed their 7 kids. They have faced so many challenges but never gave up. 

Today I am so grateful for their sacrifices and all their continuous support, pushing me to achieve my goals both academically and athletically. I found that when I doubted myself, their constant belief in me gave me strength and motivation to persevere. 

They have given me the life and opportunities they wished they had growing up. It is their guidance, hard work and love that has shaped my own values and determination in life. I am very motivated to make my family proud, to do my part and give back to them, because I truly am who I am today because of my family.