The Connection to Identity as Asian Americans

Living as a Third Culture Kid in Colorado

Abstract

This paper explores how second-generation Asian Americans in the Denver metro area construct cultural identity, using the "Third Culture Kid" (TCK) framework—typically applied to children of diplomats and military families—to examine children of immigrants navigating a home culture distinct from their surrounding environment. Because existing research on Asian American identity focuses heavily on established coastal communities, Colorado remains largely unstudied despite a sizable Asian-identifying population. Drawing on interviews with four second-generation Asian American young adults from Denver, this study asks about self-description, belonging, familiarity with the TCK concept, cultural tension, and identity-reinforcing practices, analyzing responses through Rubén Rumbaut's typology of ethnic self-identification. While participants had little prior knowledge of the TCK term, their experiences of navigating multiple cultural worlds were already embedded in how they understood themselves. Findings suggest identity is fluid rather than fixed, shaped by family, religion, geography, and personal history rather than ethnicity alone, and point to a need for stronger Asian American community infrastructure in Colorado.