Bernice
“Now while I embrace my feminine look and style, I remind myself that should only be an add-on to what I already have, nor any reason to bring insecurity because of what other people say or how society functions.”
From a young age, Bernice was told that her girlhood made her weak. She knew this wasn’t true - girls are powerful, and she would prove it. From that point on, she made it her mission to prove just how powerful girls are, and she succeeded. Throughout her life, she has excelled academically across all disciplines, fought tirelessly to challenge damaging societal norms, and discovered her passionately creative and comedic voice along the way. She is an absolute trailblazer, fighter and badass. Meet Bernice. This is her story.
Bernice, proving her power (her happy place)
P: Please introduce yourself!
B: Hi! I am Bernice Ye, And I am a Seattle-based comedian, writer, and Dancer. Born and raised in China, I came to America by myself 16 years ago to pursue my Master’s Degree in computer science at the Purdue University. From a clueless immigrant who barely spoke English, I worked my way to be a recognized leader in Tech. I took on standup comedy 3 years ago, something I never thought I would be able to do, and never looked back. In a world that is more divided than ever, my comedy focuses on bridging cultures and empowering immigrants by sharing my personal stories through humor, grace, and dignity. In 2021, I took the big leap to leave the corporate world and pursue my dream in comedy and creative writing.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
B: A rebel, an outsider, and an underdog, but never afraid to beat the odds.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
B: Being curious and open to anything that’s new and unknown to me, and embrace it. And if all fails, find humor in the tragedy ;)
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
B: I was the first generation of the only child policy. After all his three sons had daughters, my very traditional grandpa was devastated and saw all his granddaughters as a big disappointment. After elementary school, my parents moved to a different city, so I lived with my grandparents on my dad’s side. I recalled when I first had my period, my grandpa made the comment, “women’s lives are cheap, otherwise how come you bleed for nothing each month. Your blood is worthless.” I still remember that to this day. I remember talking back to my grandpa, “you are wrong. I’m going to prove to you that I’m better than a boy.”
I guess in a society where it’s so in the face to tell you that boys were superior, there’s nothing more you want than to prove them wrong. I studied really hard, I had won math, writing, public speaking, even craft competitions in my school. For both middle school and high school entrance, I was #1 of the entire city, I was in the newspaper. So at some point, my grandpa turned around. He started to care for me. He would go to the supermarket to buy my favorite food. I remember it was a new thing when we had McDonald-like fried chicken in town, my grandpa was the first to get me, and that became my favorite food. Later he even wrote poems to praise me and his other granddaughters. He even got it published in a national magazine. Later I got into Beida, Peking University, it’s like the Harvard of China, my grandpa was so proud of me and he couldn’t stop bragging about me in front of other people.
While I wish I didn’t need to do this to get grandpa’s love, I did feel all the prejudice against the girls made us stronger. I went to Peking University for Computer Science, in my class of 40 students, 12 are women. So that’s like a 1:2 ratio. And the girls were kicking ass. Of the top 10 students (coz they rank everything in the open), 6 of them are girls. So I do feel my generation of Chinese women, are very special, we are strong, smart, and badass.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
B: Never limit yourself because of other people's limited imagination, I never limit others because of my own limited imagination.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
B: During my teenage days, I had a boy haircut, I always wore thick glasses and dressed like a boy. People often mistaken me for a boy, and at some point, I stopped I correcting them. And something amazing happened. People stopped criticizing my appearances, And they started to pay attention how smart I am. I gained a lot of confidence through that experience. Now while I embrace my feminine look and style, I remind myself that should only be an add-on to what I already have, nor any reason to bring insecurity because of what other people say or how society functions.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here
B: Jin Xing (Chinese: 金星), often referred to as “The Oprah of China”, was a former male ballet star and army colonel, was also the first person, publicly, to undergo gender reassignment surgery in China, when a sex change was absolutely unheard of. She is also a modern dancer, choreographer, actress, and talk show host that draws 100 million views a week.
I’ve always been in awe of and inspired by her boldness, not to be afraid to be different and speak up speak for her mind, being different in the environment that encourage conforming.
If she’s here, I want to first thinker thank her and tell her that she’s my inspiration, then I will ask her for a duet dance, Genre of her choice.