Sofia Parviz Ali
What does it mean to be Asian American?
To have ancestry/family from Asia though you live in the U.S. Often I feel foreign in my own country because of the little representation we get. I wish I could tell people across the U.S. that, "We're here! We exist and we're important!"
What motivates you to do what you do everyday? Remembering how hard my mother and grandmother worked for the opportunities that I have. I can't let their efforts go to waste, I want to prove that coming to this country was a good decision.
Ethnic background: South Asian (Pakistani and Bangladeshi)
Age: 16
Current city & state: Chicago, Illinois
What do you worry about? Disconnection from my culture, I was born here and raised in a predominantly white community so, I don't have other people in my community that can relate to my culture. I worry that my culture will be lost through future generations.
What can’t you live without? Music! Even though I'm nowhere near fluent in either of my parents' languages, I love listening to music in Urdu/Hindi/Bengali.
What brings you joy? The way my Nani (grandmother) looks at my mom. She has this look of pride and love, it's amazing.
“I wish I could tell people across the U.S. that, ‘We're here! We exist and we're important!’”
— Sofia Parviz Ali, 2021
Sofia Parviz Ali with calculus textbook, 2021
It's a calculus textbook that my dad
handed down to me. It's a reminder that he fought hard for a 'seat at the table'.
He made the effort to get educated in a foreign country so he could make something of himself and give his family the opportunity to be who they want to be. He's pushed so many of my relatives to get educated in the U.S so they can be who they want. This textbook reminds me of the freedom and empowerment that comes with education.
“This textbook reminds me of the freedom and empowerment that comes with education.”
— Sofia Parviz Ali