For one Sansei (third-generation Japanese American) university student who had been brought up by her Japanese grandparents, questions of who she was and how much upbringing and personal experiences had molded her were with her constantly. She questioned how much of her grandfather's and her mother's high expectations had to do with her lack of self-esteem. She also asked herself whether the continually stressed importance of school had given her an unreasonable prejudice against education. Assignments in a university class in autobiographical/biographical writing led to the development of an awareness of self and of the uniqueness of her American heritage. Through writing and sharing stories with others in the class, all the students were able to move their individual visions both inward and outward. Excerpts from a story about grandfather and the Japanese internment in Manzanar show how this process came about for the Japanese American student. Through her writing, used as a survival tool, she began to recognize where her own behaviors were coming from, and knew that the cycle would have to stop with her. She finally understood the psychological and emotional damage the internment had had on her family. At the end of the writing course, the Japanese American student felt that she could fit into the diverse American culture with a better understanding and sense of true belonging. (NKA)