Confronting stereotypesNCCU Sean Hsu (front left) attends a Southeast Asian studies class at the school in Taipei in late May. A changing societyLe Thi-Nham, chair of NCCU’s Department of Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures, poses in her office at the school in Taipei in late May. When she first arrived, many children of Southeast Asian immigrants tried to conceal their family backgrounds for fear of discrimination. Expanding access to Southeast Asian language classes, they said, would help more children from immigrant families understand their backgrounds and feel confident about their identities. Hsu said the growing number of immigrant families could become an important force linking Taiwan and Southeast Asia through travel, trade and cultural exchange.