Yet, underneath their model minority exterior, many have complex questions about their identity and their place in the world.

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"In my study, the model minority pressure is a huge factor, " says Noh, who studied 41 Asian-American women who'd attempted or contemplated suicide.

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

Falling under the larger AAPI umbrella and the pervasiveness of the model minority myth, it was difficult for these NHPI students to advocate for resources to support PIER.

WHITEHOUSE: The Significance of Data Disaggregation to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community | The White House

First and foremost, they say "model minority" pressure -- the pressure some Asian-American families put on children to be high achievers at school and professionally -- helps explain the problem.

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

Education advocates are not only fighting for equal resources for students, but are also up against the Model Minority Myth, which claims that Asian American students achieve above and beyond the general population.

WHITEHOUSE: Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Blog

And I know it can be tempting -- given the success that's on display here tonight -- for people to buy into the myth of the "model minority" and glance over the challenges that this community still faces.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Annual Gala | The White House

The lessons we learned took shape in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which has grown into a national model for producing minority students who earn advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.

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