Krish Patel
11th grade
Bloomfield Hills High School, Micihigan
My name is Krish Patel, and I was honored to be part of this project. This experience has been a god-send, allowing me to highlight the stories of immigrants as ordinary people with extraordinary resilience. Growing up in the predominantly white community of Grosse Pointe Farms, my family and I encountered persistent racism that shaped my understanding of identity and belonging. Through this project, I aimed to challenge stereotypes and provide a stage to the voices of those often overlooked. It has been both a personal and meaningful journey toward greater awareness and representation.
Dr. Sunil Rao was born in India and is currently a professor at Michigan State University. Avani Ratanpara, who was also born in India, is now a nurse in the United States. Both of them shared their stories of how they both reshaped their careers after coming to America, Sunil initially came to the United States to study computer science, but eventually grew his interest in cardiology, and Avni initially wanted to have a career as a pharmacist, but was unable to in her home country due to gender norms and expectations, so she became a nurse here. The two major themes I wanted to convey are the ideas of perseverance, seeking experiences and opportunities, and how people from other countries bring new and unique perspectives and ideas to their professions, while still being ordinary people moving to a new country to build a better life.