"There was physical appeal to him you didn't generally get in traditional representations of Asian men, " says Minh-Ha Pham, an assistant professor of Asian-American studies at Cornell University.

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Professor ELIZA NOH (Asian-American Studies, California State University, Fullerton): Among the Asian-American Community when I was growing up, you know, I would hear about people who were attempting or had attempted suicide.

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An assistant professor of Asian-American studies at California State University at Fullerton, Noh has read the sobering statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services: Asian-American women ages 15-24 have the highest suicide rate of women in any race or ethnic group in that age group.

CNN: Push to achieve tied to suicide in Asian-American women