WC: 626
In 5,000 BCE, the Suryavansha dynasty ruled the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala. Millennia later, I sat awestruck as my parents explained the historical significance of my ancestors. Then, I paled as they began to detail the implications of my origins, and how I must hold up the family name and honor. Needless to say, throughout the course of my life, my parents have always impressed upon me high expectations and standards.
But, I like to finger paint. My nail beds have been a source of concern for my mother for the better part of the past two decades. Since the age of 4, their ravaged state has been the product of my desire to create masterpieces of emotion through the most intimate medium an artist can employ. Rubbing pigments between …show more content…
They have long expected me to fit into the mold of a cookie-cutter Asian daughter, and finger painting was as though their perfect gingerbread (wo)man had sprouted another head. Or, rather, another finger. They cite how the past 13 winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been of Indian origin, and how ⅚ of the US math olympiad team is Asian as justification for inflicting “Asian academic culture” onto me.
These stereotypes led me to seriously question my identity. Each time my parents praise me for being “a dream Indian child,” my heart clenches. The pressures they exert, combined with the idea that the majority of my interests stem from societal expectations, is appalling. Nearly all of my accomplishments to date have been tainted with my fears that they have been solely a result of my heritage.
All except finger painting. From that very first lavender finger, every piece I’ve created has served as a product of personal liberation. Finger painting serves as the form of assurance I need to accept my identity with confidence and chutzpah, but in no way detracts from my love of piecing together equations or compiling code. Despite my mother commenting that purple skin is creepy, or my father saying my love of finger painting reflects my lack of maturity, I stand by the paint caught underneath my nails and in my …show more content…
At the White House’s national CSforAll Summit, I struck up a conversation with a senior technology policy advisor after learning that her 3 year old was in the midst of her finger painting stage (“Me too!”). At local Board of Education meetings, I advocate for both the computer science and art departments, without prioritizing one over the other. This past year, my school increased its art and computer science offerings, in part because of my student testimony, which remained dedicated to the little quirk my parents don’t
In 5,000 BCE, the Suryavansha dynasty ruled the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala. Millennia later, I sat awestruck as my parents explained the historical significance of my ancestors. Then, I paled as they began to detail the implications of my origins, and how I must hold up the family name and honor. Needless to say, throughout the course of my life, my parents have always impressed upon me high expectations and standards.
But, I like to finger paint. My nail beds have been a source of concern for my mother for the better part of the past two decades. Since the age of 4, their ravaged state has been the product of my desire to create masterpieces of emotion through the most intimate medium an artist can employ. Rubbing pigments between …show more content…
They have long expected me to fit into the mold of a cookie-cutter Asian daughter, and finger painting was as though their perfect gingerbread (wo)man had sprouted another head. Or, rather, another finger. They cite how the past 13 winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been of Indian origin, and how ⅚ of the US math olympiad team is Asian as justification for inflicting “Asian academic culture” onto me.
These stereotypes led me to seriously question my identity. Each time my parents praise me for being “a dream Indian child,” my heart clenches. The pressures they exert, combined with the idea that the majority of my interests stem from societal expectations, is appalling. Nearly all of my accomplishments to date have been tainted with my fears that they have been solely a result of my heritage.
All except finger painting. From that very first lavender finger, every piece I’ve created has served as a product of personal liberation. Finger painting serves as the form of assurance I need to accept my identity with confidence and chutzpah, but in no way detracts from my love of piecing together equations or compiling code. Despite my mother commenting that purple skin is creepy, or my father saying my love of finger painting reflects my lack of maturity, I stand by the paint caught underneath my nails and in my …show more content…
At the White House’s national CSforAll Summit, I struck up a conversation with a senior technology policy advisor after learning that her 3 year old was in the midst of her finger painting stage (“Me too!”). At local Board of Education meetings, I advocate for both the computer science and art departments, without prioritizing one over the other. This past year, my school increased its art and computer science offerings, in part because of my student testimony, which remained dedicated to the little quirk my parents don’t