About Me

My name is Judith and I am a Chinese Colombian engineer passionate about creating accessible medical devices and procedures. In the past, I have worked with electroencephalogram (EEG) and x-ray computed tomography (CT). I have also led groups like Underrepresented Students in STEM and Society of Women Engineers to empower underrepresented individuals. During my free time, I enjoy upcycling clothes and doing photography.

Below are some common questions people, even myself, ask me

Where am I from?

The question “Where are you from?” never fails to make me sweat a bit.

Should I say New York? Or China? Or Colombia?

I would normally say I am from New York but originally from Colombia. Sometimes it leaves one confused, so then I would clarify that I am Chinese born in Colombia. There is no identity I strongly associate myself in, and it is also not static. I often feel more Colombian than ever or more Chinese than ever. Living with a mix of cultures from the far east and far west, created a clash of self-identity within me. Colombia has a small Chinese population, so I often caught the public eye whenever I went out. Colombians often stared at me intensely because it was their first time seeing an Asian person. I grew up ashamed of my Chinese side. I refused to speak Chinese in public with my family and just wanted to wear sunglasses whenever I went out. When I went to China, I felt left out. I could not speak Chinese fluently and did not follow the customs. I was now ashamed of my Colombian side. In New York, I learned how to embrace my identity by witnessing all the diversity around me. Even though my identity is still a blurry picture, I no longer feel ashamed of who I am.

I am a proud Chinese Colombian living in the United States

Why is my name four words long?

Every time I need to fill out a document, go to the doctor or even mail a package, I ask myself: what name should I write?

My full legal name is Judith Liping Weng Zhu. At a glance, people often think that Judith is my first name and Zhu is my last name. This is 50% correct. In English terms, Judith Liping is my first name and Weng Zhu is my last name. In Colombia, and most of Latin America, every individual has two surnames, one from their father and another from the mother. In my case, Weng is my father’s surname and Zhu is my mom’s surname.

It is also very common for individuals to have a first and “second” name. This later one is similar to what people in the U.S. call middle name. You might have heard of names like Jose Luis, or Maria Camila. Colombians use their second names more often and often do not associate themselves as just “Jose” or “Maria”. This might be why in the U.S., Jose Luis is considered an individual’s first name, rather than Jose as their first and Luis as their middle name. I fall within the minority group of Colombians who do not use their second name at all. In fact, many of my friends do not know my second name, or should I say my first name?

What language do I think in?

This is perhaps the most intriguing question I get asked because I really do not know the answer. I do believe that I used to have a ‘default’ language. When I first moved to the U.S, everything I heard or read had to be translated into Spanish first in my mind for me to understand it. If I was asked this question years ago, I would have said, without hesitation, Spanish. However, I notice that this no longer happens, and I am not sure when this process stopped happening.

I have been thinking about this question for a long time and came up with a somewhat satisfying answer. I believe that it depends on what topic the thought is about. If I am thinking about academic assignments or work, it is often in English. This is because all the content I get taught or work with is in English. Things related to family tend to be in Chinese, while things related to my childhood or my past tend to be in Spanish. Now that I use all three languages often, it has become less clear which one my mind naturally chooses.