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A pivotal moment in my life would be when I gave my TEDx talk in 2016. The theme of the TEDx event was “Disruptive Innovation” and my AP Human Geography teacher, Mrs. Jennings, encouraged me to speak. After discussing the TED theme with Mrs. Jennings, I decided to draft a talk about the disruptive quality of balancing my Indian heritage with my American identity. My English teacher, Mrs. Minich, helped me flesh out my ideas and come up with a complete speech to present on stage. After two months of rehearsals, I delivered my talk to a crowd of 100 community members, and the talk was published on YouTube a few months later. Giving a TEDx talk was pivotal for me because of the level of introspection and critical thinking I performed while looking at myself and my values. My talk revolved around the idea of traditional Indian culture and modern American culture differing in a variety of ways and how it affects an adolescent’s life. These differences included food, fashion, religion, and other cultural examples. This moment became even more influential during my senior year of high school when I decided to revisit this experience as part of my college admission process. It was interesting to see what ideas and values had remained the same and what had changed since the TEDx talk. Going through the experience of giving a TEDx talk and then looking back at it a couple of years down the line has had an impact on me because it all revolves around the idea of who I am and how my culture and values shape my character. As I have grown through the years, I have seen my beliefs shift from a solid Indian or American background into a mixture of both viewpoints. I am an Indian American, and both cultures make up the fabric of my identity.
A national event that made an impact on me would be when President Donald J Trump was elected in 2016. In November 2016, I was a fifteen-year-old trying to survive pre-AP pre-calculus but when the election occurred, I knew major shifts in the American culture were about to occur. My family became more paranoid of possible changes in attitudes towards us, with my mother going as far as printing out copies of my birth certificate and passport for me to keep in case my citizenship was disputed. I began noticing shifts in the narratives regarding reproductive health, gender and sexuality, and activism due to policies enacted by the administration. Because of these changes, my values began to solidify as I researched these topics and developed my own opinions. It is from watching the rise and importance of activism that I recognized my privilege and desired to help empower those who don’t have the same benefits as I experience.
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