13: Immigration

From Kolhapur, Maharashtra to Canton, Ohio

At the age of 13, she packed up more than just a few belongings — she carried with her a lifetime of memories from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and the unspoken dreams of a new beginning. Alongside her single mother and sister, she left behind the familiar sounds of her hometown for the unknown streets of Canton, Ohio.

She didn’t speak a word of English when she arrived. The world felt enormous, confusing, and often unkind. Classrooms became battlegrounds where language was a barrier, and fitting in felt like an impossible dream. But every stumble over unfamiliar words was matched by a silent vow: she was here for a reason. For education. For a future that once seemed too far out of reach.

Guided by a mother’s resilience and a sister’s quiet strength, she pressed forward. Every late night spent wrestling with new words, every small victory in understanding and being understood, became a stepping stone. What she lacked in language, she made up for in determination.

That 13-year-old girl didn’t just adapt — she grew. She found her voice in a place where she once felt invisible. And with it, she built the very life her family had crossed oceans to imagine — a life shaped by courage, perseverance, and the simple but powerful belief that starting over isn’t the end of the story — it’s the beginning of a new one.