hen Sri Rajasekaran was 14, her mother was recruited to come to the U.S. to work as a science teacher, taking her daughter from her home in Chennai, India, to Covington, Ga.
She didn’t want to go.
“When my mom asked me if I would like to come along to the U.S. with her, I started crying and said no,” said Rajasekaran, who is graduating with associate’s degrees in math and computer science from Perimeter College. “It would be just us going, so I would be living away from everybody, my friends and family.”
When you’re 14, though, you don’t really have a choice.
Coming to Georgia, Rajasekaran had a tough time adjusting. She didn’t speak English very well, and as an Indian living in a more rural part of the South, she felt isolated and picked on by other students.
Living with hearing loss, which stemmed from a severe ear infection in childhood, she can’t fully understand people unless she can see them speaking.
“People have called me deaf and held me back from opportunities, or would talk behind my back,” Rajasekaran said. “I don’t want people to pity me or think that I can’t do things or treat me differently because of my disability.”
It didn’t hinder her academically, as she thrived in class, took up leadership roles in clubs and after graduation made her way to Perimeter College. She became president of the Student Government Association (SGA) at the Newton campus and was involved in the process of consolidating Perimeter College and Georgia State University.
“I got a sense of belonging there,” Rajasekaran said. “I felt at home. We have a sense of community at the Newton campus. Since it’s so small, you can’t go unnoticed.”
—Jeremy Craig