Lalith Satheesh shares about the cultural differences and adjusting after moving to a new city.
I remember when I moved from San Jose to Cupertino, it felt like stepping into a different world. In San Jose, I was largely surrounded by white students in my classroom. I didn’t mean to, but I stood out by my skin color, homemade lunches and heritage. People asked if I could speak “Indian,” and if I ate curry every day. Occasionally, I laughed. Occasionally, it stung. But I also had friends who accepted me the way I was and teachers who made me feel good about being me.
When I arrived at Cupertino, I figured it would be easier. They are more people who look like me, come from a similar culture and deal with the same parental pressures. Despite this, I still felt more than ever like I didn’t belong. At Monta Vista High School, it seems like everything is a competition. Who is attending more clubs, who’s taking five APs, who’s already thinking about UCLA or UC Berkeley in 9th grade. Everybody’s hustling and if you aren’t one of the people who isn’t, then supposedly you’re “falling behind.”
It wasn’t OK to just be smart anymore. You have to be outstanding constantly. I couldn’t help questioning myself. Was I working as hard? Was I being as ambitious? Was I good enough? And then it hit me, perhaps the problem wasn’t that I wasn’t like everyone else. Perhaps the problem was that I was too busy attempting to be like everyone else. I discovered in San Jose, it felt like I had a better sense of who I was, even if I was one of the few Indian students in my classes. And I’m still learning in Cupertino that I don’t have to lose myself in order to fit in. I can push myself without having to pretend to be somebody else.
I can celebrate my successes and accept my defeats – even if they won’t look good on a college application. I do not merely strive to compete. I’m here to grow, I’m meant to rise. And I think that is what truly counts. With a Perspective, I am Lalith Satheesh.