My childhood is riddled with fussy tantrums: my mother pinning me down, smearing the black ink of Kajal across my eye’s waterline leaving my cheeks tear-stained and red with resentment. Well-intentioned, this Indian beauty staple is meant to ward off the evil eye while also beautifying me by adding depth and charm. Though, over the years, I’ve found myself dismissing such customs that are associated with my origins. I cast aside the rich culture that is embedded in my pigmented skin to embody the “American” identity. With this evolution of self-discovery, even my Indian parents stopped urging me to embrace my heritage. Their disdain became a norm as I traded in my kurtas for ripped jeans. They stopped fighting against my pleas to give me anything but the rolled parathas for school lunches that the other kids sneered at and compared to feces. I would immediately rub off the kumkum from my forehead at the temple and the assortment of hand-tailored salwar kameez and bejeweled lehengas that my relatives pridefully sent over grew stale, eventually forgotten. It wasn’t until I rediscovered photos of my aunts from the ’90s that my perception changed. Their once intimidating eyes radiate confidence, encouraging me to claim Indian beauty as my own. Equipped with the same Kajal pencil my mother had forced on me, I began to celebrate my culture. My darkly rimmed eyes present a more cunning and bold version of myself; one that calls attention to my pigmented skin, rather than attempting to hide it. I have started to fully embrace my diasporic identity, and yearn to dive deeper. The Kajal eye pencil has allowed me to begin my journey of showcasing my Indian culture proudly. My darkly rimmed eyes present a more cunning and bold version of myself, making me feel proud of my ancestral features. With this newfound confidence, I want to enhance my understanding of my ethnic identity in order to pursue it alongside my academic endeavors. As an aspiring finance and computer science major, my ambitions of working in a variety of industries go hand in hand with collaborating with those from various backgrounds and making connections. My new appreciation for Kajal has developed my cultural understandings, my bold eyes representing my ability to prosper in a diverse community. Prepping me to thrive on the endless cultural nuances that I hope to encounter in college and the professional world. However, I've learned that it is the ability to share our differences with each other that truly emanates the meaning of diversity - not just our distinctions. That is why I also hope to reconnect with the spirituality and traditions embedded in my own ethnic roots by joining cultural clubs at college to first develop my own sense of diaspora before sharing it. I’ll partake in events such as the Navratri and Gharba celebrations and expand my cultural awareness by surrounding myself with a community that upholds similar aspirations, growing together. In doing so, I will set myself up to become the elegant and educated Desi woman that I strive to be.

My childhood is riddled with fussy tantrums: my mother pinning me down, smearing the black ink of Kajal across my eye’s waterline leaving my cheeks tear-stained and red with resentment. Well-intentioned, this Indian beauty staple is meant to ward off the evil eye while also beautifying me by adding depth and charm. Though, over the years, I’ve found myself dismissing such customs that are associated with my origins. I cast aside the rich culture that is embedded in my pigmented skin to embody the “American” identity. With this evolution of self-discovery, even my Indian parents stopped urging me to embrace my heritage. Their disdain became a norm as I traded in my kurtas for ripped jeans. They stopped fighting against my pleas to give me anything but the rolled parathas for school lunches that the other kids sneered at and compared to feces. I would immediately rub off the kumkum from my forehead at the temple and the assortment of hand-tailored salwar kameez and bejeweled lehengas that my relatives pridefully sent over grew stale, eventually forgotten. It wasn’t until I rediscovered photos of my aunts from the ’90s that my perception changed. Their once intimidating eyes radiate confidence, encouraging me to claim Indian beauty as my own. Equipped with the same Kajal pencil my mother had forced on me, I began to celebrate my culture. My darkly rimmed eyes present a more cunning and bold version of myself; one that calls attention to my pigmented skin, rather than attempting to hide it. I have started to fully embrace my diasporic identity, and yearn to dive deeper. The Kajal eye pencil has allowed me to begin my journey of showcasing my Indian culture proudly. My darkly rimmed eyes present a more cunning and bold version of myself, making me feel proud of my ancestral features. With this newfound confidence, I want to enhance my understanding of my ethnic identity in order to pursue it alongside my academic endeavors. As an aspiring finance and computer science major, my ambitions of working in a variety of industries go hand in hand with collaborating with those from various backgrounds and making connections. My new appreciation for Kajal has developed my cultural understandings, my bold eyes representing my ability to prosper in a diverse community. Prepping me to thrive on the endless cultural nuances that I hope to encounter in college and the professional world. However, I've learned that it is the ability to share our differences with each other that truly emanates the meaning of diversity - not just our distinctions. That is why I also hope to reconnect with the spirituality and traditions embedded in my own ethnic roots by joining cultural clubs at college to first develop my own sense of diaspora before sharing it. I’ll partake in events such as the Navratri and Gharba celebrations and expand my cultural awareness by surrounding myself with a community that upholds similar aspirations, growing together. In doing so, I will set myself up to become the elegant and educated Desi woman that I strive to be.

Being part of a sport as grueling as cross country and track, there are times where it comes down to our teammates as the only reason we keep pushing. The lactic acid build-up, the cramps, the aches and sores, and the dreaded injuries give us every excuse in the book to just go home and curl up in bed. Obviously, I have an immense love for the sport, otherwise, I wouldn't have stuck with it for this long, but it's the bond that my teammates have together that not only creates a second family. In order to strengthen, we have tried numerous different approaches to keep this flame we have for this sport ignited. However, the most impactful team-building approach we have taken would have to be team lunches. Before every meet, championship or not, our teammates would spend our lunch period in our coach's room and just talk. We spend time talking about that trauma-inducing teacher, our grades, the latest drama, and our eventful lives. Whatever we decided to ramble on, we always make sure to talk about the two most important things: our goals and race plan. As a team that trains, races, and eats together, we hold each other accountable for our goals. This could be a team or individual goals, but regardless, achieving these goals is how we WIN. In order to win, we put a large emphasis on our race plans. Without a plan, we go through that race like a deer in headlights, we end up running the race not RACING it. Our strategies consist of pack running, surges at specific locations, mental checks, final kick points, all things that collectively improve our racing abilities. We are able to dream at our lunches and just lay it all out on the table (pun not intended). "What if we qualify for Nationals?"; "Imagine if you broke 20 minutes in the 5k", "Do you think you can finally beat that _____ (insert school name) girl?". We share our aspirations in a safe and motivating space that isn't valued elsewhere else. Most of all, these lunches reinforce and remind us to be thankful for this exclusive opportunity. It is not everyone that is able to be part of such a tight-knit community that experiences the same things we do. The miles we run together that leave us out of breath from the running but also the laughs. The immensely stressful races eat away at our nerves but ultimately result in tears of joy and a feeling so ecstatic from the culmination of our hard work. Finally, these lunches continue to empower us, especially as women. Chances are, we are all twice the speed as the other boys in our grade. Yet, we still encounter instances where we feel inferior, not smart enough, not pretty enough, not good enough, just because of the sexist standards still standing in our patriarchal society. Running is a conditioning activity that we took on as a lifestyle that not many people have the courage to embark on. It gives us the strength to keep pushing and shattering glass ceilings, with every sub-20-minute 5K, every win, every baton pass, and even with every failure. As team captain, it was a priority to keep a similar initiative going during Covid where our entire seasons were canceled. Still, we all kept training and improving our craft, and relied on Zoom calls as a substitute for our lunches. We work immensely hard to better ourselves and our team through this sport. These lunches remind us of our strength and genuine capabilities that we may not have realized while training. The ability to just talk about it in this no-judgment zone creates a safe and empowering space that emphasizes our true potential and power.