Amar B

Major: Communication

Hometown: Mystic, Connecticut

Age: 22
Parents' Home Country: India

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My parents immigrated to America in order to get a better education for themselves and make sure that when they raise a family, they were in the best state possible. Being second generation means my parents succeeded in their goal. It means that they did everything they could to make life easier for my sister and I.

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There is is a major expectation for us [as second generation Americans] to get a degree. And specifically the pressure to get a degree in a STEM or STEM adjacent field. Aside from the stuff mentioned above, there is an expectation because my parents worked so hard to get where they are, I would be letting them down by not doing what I can to get an education

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I feel very connected to family’s culture. In elementary school and middle school the culture was mostly chosen for me. In high school and college, though, I chose to jump into my culture and learn more about it. I do the normal stuff like try and attend all the holiday-related events and I’ve become one of the Indian Student Association’s main photographers. But for me the biggest thing has been celebrating and understanding my life as a hindu. I am in means religious, but the philosophy of Hinduism is something important to me. Helping others and trying my best to be a good person are the major things that allow me celebrate my culture. That and trying to beat my mother at curry making (I’m currently failing)." 

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