Ninth graders Renna and Yana Thukral were part of The Greenwich Historical Society’s student-curated exhibit highlighting personal family stories and artifacts. The exhibit was part of the My Story, Our Future project, a collaborative initiative organized by the India Cultural Center and the Asia and Asian American Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut. The project’s goal was to collect stories about South Asian American youth identity in Connecticut in support of the state’s mandated K-12 Asian American/Pacific Islander curriculum. Teens participating in the project spent the fall of 2022 learning to interview family members about their experiences as immigrants to North America from South Asia. They then proudly shared their South Asian American families' perspectives as first- and second-generation immigrants and their contributions to their present communities. The event was attended by CT Congressman Jim Himes and Indian-American business executive and former chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Indra Nooyi.

Director of Diversity & Inclusion Ali Morgan, who attended the exhibit opening, shared, “It was so inspiring to see two of our students among a wonderful group of young people in the Fairchester area who took a meaningful journey together through their rich familial histories. One of our community goals at RCDS is to hear more people’s stories, and we are grateful to Renna and Yana for sharing theirs. What a gift!”

Earlier in the school year, Renna and Yana visited India and then shared their experiences and reflections with the RCDS community during our Wildcats Around the World lunch-and-learn series. Read about their presentation here.

Photos courtesy of Mima Fiorino.