Anya*

In my town in California, almost every other face I see belongs to someone of South Asian descent. Yet young women of color in particular really don’t have many options as far as where to go or how to ask for help with sexual and reproductive health issues. I myself was born in India, but I moved to California when I was four. While I may not remember much of the country or its values, my parents definitely try to instill the more traditional values in me. Still, I find myself torn in terms of cultural identity, and I definitely understand being caught between value systems and the isolation experienced with attempting to figure things out alone.

I’m a senior in high school this year, and I will be attending a university next fall. I hope to have a double major in biology (with an emphasis on public health) and international relations. I consider myself an activist, and I have been involved with several organizations both in local and international. Eventually, I want to work with women in the Middle East towards improving conditions and gender equality for disenfranchised women there.

In my area, I am extremely involved with Maitri, an organization for South Asian women and children who are affected or displaced by domestic violence. Specifically, I work with teen dating violence, and I have met with and talked at several high schools here. The South Asian community imposes an incredible amount of pressure on its youth in terms of relationships, lifestyle, and sexual decisions, and I am really trying to work towards making it easier for South Asian youth to deal with sexual orientation, reproductive health, and general relationship related concerns. Issues like HIV/AIDS, STIs, and safer sex decisions go virtually undiscussed within the community, and that scares me since this leaves South Asians uninformed and helpless when it comes to looking after their sexual health.

I am interested in working with several issues amongst young women of color. HIV/AIDS, STIs, and relationship issues are just a few that are relevant. But otherwise, I also feel as though the circumstances surrounding these issues are also important to address, including situations of abuse, cultural ambiguity and isolation, and even teasing and harassment. Having gone to a small private school all my life, high school was the first time I was really exposed to the public school environment. Being the new kid was being the outsider, and from experience, I can truly understand how vicious people can be without really knowing a thing about you. I have experienced quite a few of these problems first hand, and I know how alienated and helpless one can feel. It’s important you know that you’re not alone, and that that really isn’t something I say just for the sake of saying it. Everyone deals with problems differently, but I want to be there for you, so you don’t have to feel as though you have nowhere to turn. I’ve been through feeling isolated and caught between cultures. I’ve been told I’ve made wrong decisions when those same decisions were the ones I had felt most strongly about. I know how it is to feel as though you can’t share because you feel so much more complicated than everyone else. But, really? We’re all complicated. We all have problems. And we all want everything to be okay. And even if I can make you feel just a little bit closer to okay, then that is something I will do for you in whatever way I can.

* Anya is a former peer educator with MySistahs. The information above was from when she was a peer educator. It is no longer updated.

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