In 1970, longtime Belmont resident Kwan Kew Lai boarded a flight from Malaysia to the United States in pursuit of a dream she’d had since she was 14 years old and realized women could be doctors, too.
“I wanted to go to American school for the longest time, because when I was sick at 14 years of age and had a Punjabi doctor, I realized, as a woman you could be a doctor,” she said, recalling the female doctor who checked on her at night. “That kind of planted a seed in my head.”
When she arrived in the United States on an F-1 student visa, Lai was supported by a full scholarship from Wellesley College to study molecular biology.
“Education in America was different but profoundly affected my whole outlook, because we were free in the class to discuss things, which we were not allowed to do in Malaysia,” Lai said. “Students are not supposed to talk in class, so it was an eye-opener for me to see students talking and disagreeing with their professors.”
Lai’s latest book, “Finding Independence in America: An International Student,” follows her journey from international student to an American citizen. Over those 17 years, she relied on scholarships and loans, as — unlike other international students — she didn’t have the financial support of her family. During that time, she endured sexism, racism and “the pursuit of acceptance in a country that is full of both opportunities and challenges.”
“Finding Independence in America” serves as a sequel to her memoir, “The Girl Who Taught Herself to Fly.”
Specifically, the story details the not-so-linear path she took to becoming a medical doctor, as she faced discrimination from those in the field who looked down upon her as a woman and as an immigrant. She describes the “pivotal moment” in the book as the time she was dismissed by the program chief of an oral surgery program, who said she’d have a better chance of being considered for the program with a medical degree.
“My credentials were better than male colleagues,” she recalled. “That was kind of a turning point for me — that he didn’t want me as a woman.”
So she decided to pursue medical school — a pursuit she’d been dissuaded from by male professors earlier in her education.
While “The Girl Who Taught Herself to Fly” is more about inspiring girls to pursue higher education, its sequel is more about sharing with readers Lai’s aspiration for achieving independence as a woman and an immigrant.
“As an international student or as a woman, you could aspire to independence in the sense of your will to do something different than what people have planned for you, or that you could find financial independence without having to depend on a patriarchal society. Since I came from that type of society, that was my fight, to find independence on my own, especially from a male figure.
“In the book, there are many times when I had to face the problem of, ‘Should I do this, or should I do that?’,” she continued.
Now retired, Lai dedicated much of her medical career to humanitarian work in several African countries, as well as India, Nepal, the Philippines, Vietnam and Haiti. She also volunteered in hospitals in New York, St. Croix (in the Virgin Islands) and the Navajo Nation. She’s a three-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and has been honored as a Distinguished Alumna of both Wellesley College and Chicago Medical School, where she earned her medical degree.
The difficulty some international students continue to face nearly 50 years since her arrival in the United States is not lost on Lai .
“When you hear they’re losing international students to other countries, it makes you feel like we have lost an opportunity to attract people who are talented, who could contribute to the scientific knowledge in the country,” she said. “I feel like we probably have lost some students to other countries.”
Belmont Public Library will host an author talk with Lai on Nov. 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for sale and a book signing.
“Finding Independence in America: An International Student’s Journey from Malaysia to Medical School” is available for pre-order online at kwankewlai.com/.
