“My immigrant story bridges my identities and simultaneously traps my dreams, but has given me the experiences of a lifetime.”- Rishika C.

”Preschool in Scotland? Wow, how cool!”

Yea, very cool, but only if it’s an experience – not a limitation. Sometimes it feels like my life is a real-world juxtaposition, one where I spent the first 3 years of existence traveling the world, only to spend the rest of it in one place. Birth in India, first birthday in Ohio, preschool in Scotland, and then life in Illinois. However, it doesn’t seem like this collocation is evenly balanced, as my nearly 15 years in Illinois have no legal significance against my 20 minutes of birth in India. I am an Indian citizen and a “temporary” resident of the United States, further buttressing my ironic life of a juxtaposition.

I am Indian by nature, but American by nurture. My immigrant story bridges my identities and simultaneously traps my dreams, but has given me the experiences of a lifetime.