Learning About Feminism in the U.S.
In Japan, most mothers stay home with their children. I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about this—I assumed I would be a mom who stayed home with her kids too. But after I moved to New York City from Tokyo, I noticed that most moms work. So while my mom took me to […]
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From Begrudging Family Translator to Literacy Volunteer
“我不要 (wǒ bù yào; I don’t want to)!” I cried, twisting my arms and kicking my legs to release myself from Nai Nai’s firm grip as she pulled me over to the man sitting in the subway ticket booth. My 9-year-old self started jumping and screaming. I was yelling in Mandarin, the only language my […]
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I Started My Own Charity
The burning Dhaka summer sun reflected off the rearview mirror of my parents’ Toyota as I sat in the backseat with my sister. It was a typical afternoon, 100 degrees, and I could feel the sweat on my skin. I was 5 years old. The smell of gasoline attacked my nostrils as we remained stuck […]
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I Plan to STEM the Tide
When I was four years old, I started keeping a stack of newspaper articles in a box beside the large window in the living room. These articles mostly were about the discovery of new planets, illustrations of alien life, or images of our solar system. (I began writing and reading when I was 3.) I […]
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