Sankar Raman

Choosing the Road Less Traveled

From the start, Barbie Wu was determined to forge her own path.  Born in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1986, she comes from a family of scientists.  

Karen Weliky

Using Identity to Live Out Loud

In elementary school Osvaldo Gonzalez felt sure that he was destined to be an outsider. “I felt like it was not OK to be me,” he remembers. “I would sit […]

Sankar Raman

Artist Invites Viewers To Think

What’s the ideal training for a conceptual artist? Roberta Wong credits the time she spent chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and making dim sum pastries  

Sankar Raman

Opera Was Never on the Radar

When Priti Gandhi was six years old, her mother noticed that she liked to hum along with the radio. She also observed that her daughter

Sankar Raman

Embracing and exploring identity

When Qasim Syed arrived in the United States in 2001, he didn’t realize that a simple decision to reorder his name would one day define his immigrant experience.

Dmae & Patti

This Is All of Me, and I Claim It All

Welcome to Many Roads In Conversation, where we look deeply at issues affecting communities within the United States. This inaugural series focuses on the roots  

Karen Weliky

I Am My Mother’s Daughter

To this day, Bandana Shrestha feels a sense of gratitude for the example her mother, Indira, set for her as she grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Ricki Mudd

A Daughter of Two Countries

Ricki was born in 1993 in Quzhou, China, but was adopted when she was four years old by a White American family living in Seatac, Washington. 

Opening Minds With Education

After she earned her master’s degree, Rajika Bhandari was left with a grand, existential question. Where did she fit in, she wondered: Was it in the United States,

Karen Weliky

Coming Full Circle At Last

“You are an Indonesian mama,” the local tour guide told Jane Mantiri as she wound up her recent visit to Indonesia. “At first I thought you were American, but now […]

Sankar Raman

The Hard Way is What Saves You

In middle school, Yamini Rajan dealt with bullying, isolation, and a sick parent. Her mental health suffered, and destructive habits and self-harm nearly ended her life.  

Sankar Raman

Standing Firm Against Persecution

For as long as she can remember, her Asian features had made Hadia Sadiqi a target for ostracism in her native Afghanistan. Anyone who saw her knew instantly  

Sankar Raman

A Rabbi After All: Fulfilling a Calling

By the time he was seven, Eliezer Schwartz had already learned that if he ran fast enough and threw a lot of stones, he could protect himself from the schoolyard […]

Sankar Raman

Finding Courage in the Unfamiliar

When Japhety Ngabireyimana landed in the United States at age nine, he thought he was seeing ghosts. “I was surrounded by a bunch of white people at the airport,”