Character and Charisma #1

Hello! My name is Keithan Pai. I am 16 years old and I am Indian American. My family immigrated to America around 20 years ago after they both graduated from college back in India. The rest of my family stayed back and still continues to live there. I go back every summer to see them. It wasn’t easy for my parents to migrate across the world, as both of them did not speak English and had no family to rely on. My Dad learned English by socializing with other Americans and, funnily enough, my mom actually learned English by watching Friends!

Growing up as a first generation American came with its challenges. My lunches looked a lot different than my friends. With much more fragrant spices, my food didn’t resemble my friends’ peanut butter and jelly lunches. Luckily enough, my best friend since preschool was also a first generation Indian American. Growing up alongside him, he allowed me to feel more comfortable with my identity as we shared similar cultural backgrounds.

My elementary and middle school was very small, only having roughly 20 students per grade. Though small, it was very diverse. There was a melting pot of cultures, backgrounds, and religions that made me more socially aware and culturally intuitive. Transitioning from such a small elementary school to Chaminade in seventh grade was daunting. Not only was I having to adjust to a much larger student body, I also was trying to navigate my identity in a much less diverse school.

Seeking connection and a way to cope with the lack of diversity, I founded the South Asian Culture Club at Chaminade during my Sophomore year. I would have started it Freshman year, but I was unable due to everything being online because of the pandemic and clubs being at a halt. The aim of this club was to act as a supporting agent for students like me, and/or people who wanted to learn about South Asian Culture. Starting the club allowed me to vocalize my own culture and identity, but surprisingly, I was able to learn more even as the “teacher” of the club. The most surprising thing I learned from the club was the difference between Northern and Southern India. Many of my peers were Northern Indians and would talk about things that I had never heard of, despite visiting every year. One of the most interesting differences between Northern and Southern Indian culture was the variances in religion. It became a welcoming place that was open to discussion and room for knowledge and growth about each other’s culture. Although there were differences between our cultures, there was an overall sense of pride within our shared Indian culture.

Having grown up in a weird cultural limbo between being fully Indian or being fully American, this was the first time I felt a part of a community. I am starting this blog as a way to document my journey as an Indian American teenager growing up in a post-Covid world. The South Asian Culture Club gave me the space to learn about my community and allowed me to see that there are so many people who have grown up with similar identity struggles. I am hoping to use this platform as a way to vocalize my experience and highlight how it shaped who I am today — hence the name, Character and Charisma.