You ' ve already proven you ' re more than capable to not only succeed , but excel at an Ivy League and in your dreams , because you ' ve already accomplished so much in an environment that offered more detractions than encouragements . Maybe next time they try to talk you out of it , ask them why you they think you wouldn ' t excel ? What about you and all that you ' ve done so far gives them the belief that you ' ll struggle ? And how are your achievements compared to your siblings ? Is it on par ? If so , ask them if they would discourage another of their kids in the way they are you ? If not , why ? Unfortunately , you experience sounds to me like what many of us know as a reality but other ' s still deny because they don ' t experience it first hand , which is subconscious racism . On the outside , people don ' t intend to be racists , but depending on the environment you grew up , you might internalize things without realizing it . And then it manifests itself in these sorts of ways .