“The number one stereotype that bothered me all my childhood was the ‘smart nerd.’ As an Indian teenager, I was expected to get into a prestigious college because I’m Asian. Substitute teachers would look at me when the smart board wasn’t working. Kids would ask me what I got on the math test. I always had to be smart, or I didn’t fit the ‘Asian standard’. I think because of this expectation, I was hard on myself and made it my goal to fit that stereotype. It crushed my true identity.”

View Entire Post ›