“Authentically Me”

Tinzing Artmann

Tibetan | she/her/hers | Private Sector

My favorite Gandhi quote is, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Being “authentic” was such a cliché to me, until I was able to live it out at my current job. To understand me, I have to take you back to my hometown in India. I identify as Tibetan American. I was born and raised in India as a refugee. My grandparents fled Tibet in 1959 when China occupied it. Raised by a single mother and grandfather, my two brothers and I learned what it meant to be content. We had a place to sleep, food to eat, and clothes to keep ourselves warm – that was enough.

Growing up, I didn’t know what authentic meant. I only knew as I watched my mother and grandfather, that I would do everything possible to make sure we wouldn’t live like that again. I wanted to leave that life behind, and rising above average became my goal. I wanted success, and I would work really hard to achieve it.

I arrived in the United States in the summer of 1999 right after I graduated from college in India. I still had the same mentality. I wanted success and didn’t care much about being my authentic self. I mimicked everything that Americans looked up to, never questioning it. One could say I blended in very well, but I felt like something was missing. None of it felt like me.

I began working at Target in 2012. It was a place that allowed me to have a more balanced life, and to pursue things I was passionate about. I started to feel stronger, bolder, more energetic, fearless, and outspoken. I learned to love myself, and I no longer felt the need to blend in. I became comfortable with myself.

Once I was able to be myself, I felt more joy in every aspect of my life and work. It no longer mattered if I looked right for others, as long as I looked right for myself. At Target I was exposed to leaders like Caroline Wanga, Target’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Vice President of Human Resources. She reminded me to be my authentic self unapologetically every day. It takes a lot of personal awareness and determination to be one’s most authentic self, but it sure helps when a company creates an environment that celebrates that. Cherish yourself and know that the power is in you to be the change you seek.

#MinneAsianStories Series