The author herself is Asian... and it refers to not just Asians, but immigrant families in general. Though I didn't know that about Jamaican and Irish-American families, as she states.
I would submit that this refers not to Asians in general, but specifically to those Asians who are also immigrants. The simple act of uprooting and replanting oneself in another country for the sake of better economic potential is probably a far better indicator of the over-achieving drive described.