As if desperately trying to escape the confines of my sternum, my heart palpitated while I awaited my final question. Suddenly, I recognize a familiar sound, my name, muffled by rushing blood pulsating in my ears. A silence enveloped the room as I inched across the stage, each click of my heels amplified as loud as an elephant. It was time. The announcer indifferently selected a question card and nonchalantly asked, “What do you contribute to this pageant?” Taking a pause, I reflected on my Indian roots-roots entrenched so deeply into an ancient, unyielding culture. As a culture that immensely values group harmony, patience, and generosity, it is not only a timeless embodiment of essential ideals but also an imperative way of life …show more content…
As an immigrant to this country, this concept was foreign. Yet, today I am able to embrace my differences and voice my concerns regarding the injustices plaguing education in a platform to effectuate a transformative impact on disadvantaged children. The audience’s gaze brings me back to the enormous auditorium, I politely accept the microphone, confidently smile, and proudly assert, “I am an Indo-American. To this pageant I bring my invaluable Indian heritage: integrity united with intellect. But I also bring my uniqueness. I contribute my enthusiasm, my compassion, and my persistence, qualities that I use daily and in the future as well in my career in healthcare.” My heels clicked back as I resumed my original place in line, relieved that my part was finished. Like a mannequin, I remained frozen with a smile on my face and my hand on my hip. Again, I recognize a familiar sound: I had won first-runner up in my first pageant. Yet, society’s ludicrous beauty standards had not defined me. The constraints of the Indian mentality had not repressed my individuality. I am honored to be an