Moideen Moidunny

I received this lofty treatment merely because, as an American, my relatives subconsciously associated me with capital and with power — or, more specifically, with access to it.

 I was somewhat aware of my erratic pursuits of dopamine and novel stimuli, but the problem was that there wasn’t a language in my culture to identify and to describe these issues, and certainly not in a healthy, constructive way.

It didn’t occur to me that such a prestigious and progressive institution in the 21st century could bear the markings of a racist, post-colonial legacy.

For many of us who hail from immigrant backgrounds, we know that one of our parents’ dreams is to have their child’s name bear the prefix of “Dr.”

Those of us who are bicultural have beautiful compound identities, and only upon embracing this reality may our identities truly be wed.