Coming to the US as an international undergraduate student, navigating a new culture along with adulthood can be a huge challenge on its own. I would like to acknowledge Malgorzata’s sense of courage, and how she owned her journey till the very end of her life. Being an international student from India, a developing country presents challenges of its own. Unlike other countries in Europe and Asia, India provides few scholarships to students who want to study abroad. My family explored loan options, but we couldn’t pursue them since they required asset security. Since I am a Global Studies major, receiving any financial support from institutions becomes lesser since it is a non-STEM field. My initial transition into the country was difficult because I came to the US during the peak of the pandemic in India (August 2021), when only a few visas were being given to students and after several months of waiting, I was sent to the US on a National Interest visa. Moreover, I was stopped at the LAX airport for a secondary check which was an overwhelming experience for me because this was the first time I had ever left my country. Since my roommate wasn’t accommodating of my transition, I had to shift to another apartment within a year of living with her. Also, just like Maggie, I had to maneuver different roles simultaneously. I am a transfer student, so I first came to a community college and then transferred to a university. There was a period of uncertainty as I didn't know which university I would transfer to, and based on my financial situation my options were few. I had two jobs at my community college to finance my expenses and applied for scholarships as financial aid isn’t available to international students. However, I feel the biggest challenge was to adapt to two different academic institutions within two years and I had to carve a network all over again. And this goes beyond the struggles of understanding an accent; it is about understanding a foreign sensibility and a completely different way of life. Beyond this, my urgent challenge is that combining my parents' and my salary from working as a Peer Counselor at UCLA, I only have the tuition available till Spring 2023. Currently, I am on the outlook for another job, but being from a non-STEM field and an international student the chances of getting an internship become narrow. However, I feel Maggie and I are similar in the sense that we chose to see the bright side of our situation, and pursue our diverse interests despite difficult realities. Beyond international affairs and diplomacy, I thoroughly enjoy creative writing and three of my short stories “ Eye to I”, “For the First Time” and “An Appointment to Heaven” was published by Santa Monica College’s Writers Club. I intend to write a novel based on Indian or Lusitanian mythology before I graduate. And I know the path of being a young, woman author is not an easy one however, I will pursue this interest with all my passion. It’s not about how much time we are promised, but what we chose to do with it. I see Maggie not just as a woman paving the path for other women in a male-dominated field, just as I am attempting to, however, see her as a pioneer for conscious living. She proved that life is a matter of choices, and the power lies with the individual no matter what. I am learning these lessons in a new country, and I see Maggie as my role model.

A couple of days ago, I was endlessly scrolling through the flux of reels on Instagram, when I came across one particular that went as, “ According to quantum physics, a particle vibrating from your soundbox when you speak can affect a molecule inside a star at the edge of the Universe. Instantly. This is the Law of Quantum Entanglement. ” But the line that really made me think was the last line of the quote : “The biggest illusion in the universe is the illusion of separation.” This statement startled me not because this was the first time I was hearing it. Growing up in a gurukul school in India, classrooms were filled with discussions based on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scripture, that explains that the human form is born out of the divine, only when the soul feels the need to define its sense of otherness. Or when my father described to me how he read in the Autobiography of a Yogi that spiritual master Paramhansa Yogananda claimed to have been present at two places at the same time. Or when I researched the planet retrogrades, and astrological conjunctions to understand how far away celestial bodies predict human tendencies. I have always sought different means to decipher the nature of the universe; nothing ever seems too alien. But what made me wonder about this quote was that it not only revealed the powerful implications of energy, but also how deeply connected we are as people. Being a Global Studies major for the past two years, this is all that I have been trying to understand–how no event, idea or thing in the world occurs in isolation. Moreover, I feel this basic fundamental of the universe can be used to solve several human development issues around the world. Having the opportunity to learn about the developmental theories and practices adopted by governments, I feel human growth is approached through a linear perspective that leaves us with incomplete solutions. It is not only about not treating the social problems of the world as black or white, or even as shades of gray, but understanding how these shades of gray looked in the past, now and in the future and, across several cross sections. For instance, take India’s education system, the country where I grew up, and was one of the first few developing countries that is said to have achieved universal primary education. And even though this comes from an urban perspective, I can vouch that the quality of knowledge in the country has remained stagnant, sans the STEM fields, and a few reputed institutions. However, if one grasps knowledge from the lessons of the universe, one realizes that the education problem in India is not a single, separated problem. The sum total of social variables like the value that is given to education in India by parents and the larger community, gender stereotypes, caste and race complexities, the quota system, colonial legacies, government’s attitude towards education, affect what the institution of knowledge looks like in the country today. What happened in the 18th century under the British colonial Empire in India largely impacts the way people are socialized into looking at studies as a component of life, not only by the educational laws they left behind. And if our actions are so tightly connected across the spectrum of time and space, how do we define the modern concepts of otherness and belonging in the present-day geopolitical environment? Consider the global refugee regime, and how quickly and strongly people like to define who belongs, and who does not. But one can’t tell a gas particle floating in space to identify as something. The universe only understands the language of energy, and views every component of it, whether positive, negative or neutral as parts of a harmonic whole, even though they might be conflict. I have always been fascinated by the workings of the universe, not because it is an exotic space beyond the realities of the world, but because it brings us closer to who we are, or atleast where we began. Being in the field of international development and cooperation, my aim is to apply these concepts so that I contribute effectively in empowering marganlized communities around the world. I don’t feel the answers to our questions lie beyond the quantum entanglement. They lie within it.

Being an international student in the United States for one year has solidified in me the identity I bring from my country, India. The experience of living in a space that is different and new has made me value the culture to which I belong. It is a unique feeling for me–to understand the context in which I grew up better, by looking at it from the outside. Moreover, the reason I wanted to pursue Global and International Development Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles was to better understand the trajectory of developing countries like India. Having grown up in a society that is marked by deep-rooted social issues, I always wanted to know how this cycle of inequality can be overcome. It is not only a question of how education, food or water can reach the most marginalized community, but also of how the systems that sustain these needs can be made more sustainable. Through my education and work in the US, I am understanding the different ways in which developmental initiatives are carried around the world. For instance, by learning in my courses how colonial institutions are shaping the world even today, it is easier for me to pin down problems to more subtle causes. As a part of my International Development Studies assignment, I had to make a podcast on a developing country’s performance based on a UN Sustainable Development Goal. I have always felt passionate about India’s education system since my childhood. Therefore, I chose to discuss India’s efforts towards the 4th Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education and Lifelong Learning Opportunities. I realized India’s lack of improvement in education quality, both in rural and urban areas is a sum of more ideological problems than logistical ones. It is the way learning is valued, not just by students but also by the community around them that has a huge impact on what the education outcomes look like in India. I want to work towards restructuring the education system in rural and urban India by making changes at the policy level. As much as I want to create a chain of schools that bring a more hands-on approach to studies, most Indian schools follow the “syllabus” pattern prescribed by Education boards and the government. Moreover, the majority of the schools in India are government-led. Therefore, I want to bring reform at the policy level, that firstly, reorients the strict “Art, Science and Commerce” fields into more flexible, and interdisciplinary majors. Secondly, to reduce the dependence on a strict “syllabus” system that ties student success to grades only. Most importantly, increasing the opportunity for students to engage in activities that have a monetary value tied to them like internships, and part-time jobs help make education more employment-associated. In rural areas, education could mean increasing awareness about local conditions through local resources, for example, students learning in their native languages. I believe all of this requires not so much of an increase in the education budget, but a rethinking of the education fundamentals in India. When I attend my classes or tutor a student at my job, I am presented with a new way of thinking. The network of diverse people, and research opportunities at UCLA are helping me find more answers to my country’s problems. The interconnectedness of knowledge at my university has provided me with clarity on the plans I had for India’s education system. I believe the experiences I am gaining today have provided me with a solution-oriented lens toward the problems I saw growing up.

When I write, I can step into a dimension where I change anything about the world. It is a means for me to create an alternate reality across time and space–where shoes can talk or a world with only women! But more importantly, it is a way for me to express those ideas that often get pushed away into the crevices of a biased world. It was during high school, when I was developing my initial connection with writing, that I was also seeking a sense of self, based on my inner composition and outer physicality. I was troubled by the conventional notions of beauty that marginalize people who don’t fit into those molds. And that is when I found in writing, a safe, meditative space where I could usher a revolt–but the one that was joyful. I channelized this energy into a first-person, fictional short story called “Eye to I” about a girl, who receives her vision back after being blind all her life and ends up questioning everything she has been told about beauty when she sees herself. I remember the morning I wrote this piece, electricity ran through my spine, as I felt the joy of expressing my inner conversations creatively. My high school English teacher eventually ended up narrating the story to the whole classroom, and four years later, my short story won the Dreams Come True International Writing Competition hosted by Santa Monica College’s Writer’s Club, and was published by them in a Print Book. And this empowerment has led me to think about how my writing can not only help me find my voice but also of those who are buried under the dust of historical underrepresentation. During my Latin American Colonial History lecture at UCLA, where I was learning about the Americas and Iberia, I realized whether it was the history of the colonizer or the colonized, women were nowhere to be seen in the ancient documents and texts. During this time, I was also trying to find a research topic for my Research Revealed Program at UCLA. And the confluence of these aspects of my life made me wonder: Why not write a story where all the marginalized people in history are put into positions of power? Why not rewrite history in an inclusive design? Therefore, I am currently working on writing a speculative fiction novel that explores the emergence of a secret scientific society of women in Andalusia, the 10th Century Muslim Empire in Spain, and their involvement in pioneering scientific technology.The intent is a feminist narration of an imagined Andalusian world, which stands in contrast to the common patriarchal and orientalist creative works that seek to mostly portray women as either background characters, romantic partners, or accidental leaders. I aim to portray women, especially Muslim, mixed race and slave women of ancient Al-Andus, as leaders of change in society, that is today left with few accounts of their contributions to realms beyond family. It is through writing that I got my chance to connect with people, near, far away and long lost, in an honest and meaningful manner. I believe I can do many things through writing: celebrate, learn, fight, mourn and be weird. But what writing will always help me to do is find meaning that can change the world.

Every time I learn something new, I feel as if I have been liberated. Education instills in me this belief that if I know and I seek to know more, I can manifest anything in this world. I want to pursue higher education because I want to feel limitless. Ever since we are born, we are assigned certain variables that tend to define us and somewhat limit what we can experience as people. However, I believe that there is a part of us that deserves to explore life beyond these societal walls of “ what we are supposed to do”. This unquenchable thirst for freedom has created in me a desire to know people in different cultures around the world. Coming from a diverse and complex society like India, I have always felt the need to know how society evolves in other communities and nations.This has led me to choose Global Studies as a major at Santa Monica College (SMC) and the experience at my college has been enriching. I am not only learning the practical knowledge ( history and politics of nations) and hard skills( like research and writing) for being an ethnographer , but I am also getting the opportunity of studying in a different culture than my own - a first hand experience at being a global citizen. This wholesome learning platform that higher education is providing me with is humbling and it has made me realize that I am a part of a bigger global system and it is my responsibility to give back to that system. Despite the financial constraint I face currently, I still feel pursuing education is investing one’s life’s purpose and one should strive to pursue a higher education against all odds. At my college, I am involved in several clubs. To make my education experience more dynamic, I have joined the Amnesty International Club at SMC as the Public Relations Representative. It has been a great process because I have learnt to integrate social media and human rights in an innovative way. My tasks involve handling the digital platforms for the club and leading presentations discussing human rights issues around the world. It has taught me how activism has shifted to the digital media and how it may transform in the coming years. Another opportunity I have is to serve as the President of the Eco-action Club at SMC. This position not only provides me with space to hone my leadership and communication skills but also helps me learn about the environment. As a part of this club, I organised the Earth Week Festival in Spring 2021 wherein the theme was “Environmental Activism”. My idea was to explore how environmental activism is connected to other aspects of society like fashion, business, design, STEM. It proved to be a great platform to connect with the student body and develop a network. I will also be volunteering with CRY America over the summer to create a fundraising campaign to support girl child education in India. Moreover, in the coming Fall I will start a club of the “Samburu Project”( an NGO fighting the water crisis in Kenya) at my college. At this point in life, I feel driven to contribute in some way to the disadvantaged section of the society, especially during this pandemic when inequalities have increased. I am passionate to explore how help and accessibility can be provided through the online platform in a time when physical contact bars us from helping each other. Higher education has opened the doors of an infinite horizon for me, and I feel inspired.