Transcriber: Itza Andrade Reviewer: Hani Eldalees
Now, you’ve had a lot of talks.
I didn’t know.
I know you guys must be a little bit bored.
Or maybe tired or something, but I’m sure I won’t take a lot of time.
And before beginning with the actual content,
I would really like to thank TRCAC.
I would really like to thank them.
For thinking that I’m capable and bringing me up on the stage.
And tell me that I know I can own it.
Now, I come from a very basic, middle-class family,
that consists of five people.
My very supportive two parents.
My mother, a very proud homemaker,
my father who is a businessman,
my lovely, adorable sister,
who is very ambitious, she works with the family business,
my grandmother,
and me,
who has really, really high dreams.
When have dreams like that
Let me tell you, people are going to question you.
Question you, to decide and ask you various questions.
Fortunately, I have an answer.
I have an answer that my family told me.
My family, my teachers, everyone that told me...
They told me to give up.
Now, how?
Everyone on the talk said,
“don’t give up”.
Well, they told me to give up. Now, does that make my a loser?
Hear me out.
My father told to give up how?
He told me to give up on stereotypes.
He told me to give up on the age factor.
He told me to give up on your dreams.
How on your dreams?
The dreams that put you down.
The dreams that tell you that you’re supposed to fit into this...
You know, a box where you belong.
He asked me to tear that box.
My mother, who is a homemaker, she asked me to give up.
Because she gave up on the normal pressure.
The pressure of all these relatives.
The pressure of all types of relatives that come from in and around.
My sister told me to give up. How?
She gave up on the stereotype.
Like, of daughter.
That a daughter cannot go into the family business.
She is with my father, really,
handling the family business very, very accurately,
much more better than a son, if my father had, would do.
Not belittling anyone.
And I,
who still haven’t achieved anything in her life yet.
I am not all-capable like you people right here.
But I have my own experiences.
I have own life thing.
My very own life thing.
And that changed when I came to the TRC.
I was not really going to come to this college.
Because I was a normal student.
Following my sister’s footsteps, I took compass.
She was a math genius. She is a math genius.
And I was a zero at math. I still am a zero at math.
I could not sleep at nights where my passion went.
My passion was up on the stage.
And it still is.
You can see the enthusiasm, gladly.
It still is on the stage.
I’ve seen people tell me “you are not fit for the stage.”
“Your voice doesn’t fit you.”
“Your voice is, you know, kind of guyish.”
“It sounds like a boy is talking.”
That was the response.
“You don’t look properly on the stage.”
And my father asked me,
let’s be honest.
My father...
He, my mother, and everyone in and around in my family
are very supportive as I’ve mentioned.
They all told me to be on the stage.
And I wasn’t 12 when I realized that compass wasn’t the thing I want to do.
It wasn’t something, because I saw the math splendors
that came in front of me being as why, being like oh god.
I don’t do math.
That’s when I dug deep into myself and I found out psychology is my passion.
I am right here on this stage because of psychology.
If it wasn’t in my life,
I would not be on the stage and I would not be in this college.
And even ahead you can see,
if you saw the photo, it says an aspiring psychologist.
I can be on the stage. I have the abilities.
I can write, I have the abilities. I can speak, I have the abilities.
But my passion lies only, and only, in psychology.
As she said, one day people will see something in psychology.
And that is where my passion lies.
That is where my dreams are.
And that’s one thing I would like you all to do.
No matter how much, even if you yourself think
that you cannot do it,
all these cognitive thoughts,
all these people who tell you to fit into this box,
celebrate inside...
Don’t go there.
Don’t give up.
But never give in.
Don’t go into that box.
No more fit in.
And tell people, “this is not where my limit lies.”
“This is who I am.”
“This is who I want to be.”
I’ll leave you with that part, thank you.