Not long ago, Indians in the US were shy and conservative, staying away from the limelight.
Now voices like Sruthi Kumar are taking a stand and making their voices heard. We must toast to that.
Shruthi Kumar is the eldest daughter of South Asian migrants who grew up in Nebraska. She was the first in her family to attend college in the US.
I like the time she takes to compose herself before she begins her speech. She takes her time, and in those seconds of silence and confident posture – she has the undivided attention of all of us.
“I grew up in the Great Plains of Nebraska alongside cattle ranches and cornfields. As the eldest daughter of South Asian immigrants, I was the first in my family to go to college here in the US. There was a lot I didn’t know. When it came time, I asked my parents how to apply to colleges. They too said, “I don’t know.”
The words “I don’t know” used to make me feel powerless. Like there was no answer, and therefore, no way. As if I was admitting defeat.
From Nebraska to Harvard, I found myself redefining this feeling of not knowing. I discovered a newfound power in how much I didn’t know. I didn’t know a field called the “History of Science” even existed. I now find myself a graduate of the Department.
A Historian of Science made clear to me that history is just as much about the stories we don’t know as the stories we do.
In the History of Science, we often look for what is missing. What documents are not in the archives and whose voices are not captured in history? What we don’t know can sometimes tell the most powerful story”.
She lays a solid foundation for the arguments to follow with these powerful statements – to support the 13 students who did not receive their degree because they participated in the protests against Israel and set up camps on the Harvard campus. Thousands of students walked out of the graduation ceremony.
What I appreciate is the journey the Global Indian has made. First, her Indian parents made the journey from India to the US and to Nebraska. Then, Shruthi made the journey from Nebraska to Harvard. Then, her final journey of four years of transformation to standing on that stage. That is a long journey from India to that stage.
I am so proud of Sruthi Kumar because she inspires many aspiring students to study abroad, especially girls, and demonstrates the transformative power of a good education.
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