Publish Her Immigration Story is a digital series that honors and humanizes the diverse experiences and voices of immigrant, Indigenous, refugee and first-generation women. Submit your story.

By Suchi Sairam

How lucky am I? I arrived in the United States with my Indian immigrant parents in the early 1970s, part of the wave after the 1965 Immigration Act opened doors after decades of exclusion. They were India’s educated elite—engineers, doctors, scientists, attorneys, accountants.

But they carried invisible burdens. Casual racism, mispronounced names, “othering” in every possible way. They worked twice as hard to be seen as competent, even when they were the cream of the crop. My dad intentionally cultivated an American accent. Family and friends changed their names to make them easier for non-Indian Americans to say.

They persisted with immigrant determination. Good school districts. Practical cars. Weekend gatherings in each other’s living rooms. Everything focused on education and opportunity for us kids.

What made them different? They built their lives on genuine strengths. They grounded us in morals rooted in ancient philosophy and daily practices handed down over generations. They taught us not just intentions, but that what you do matters. Their spirituality had roots in solidarity—respect for others, for life.

The Indian communities where I grew up in ’70s and ’80s Texas had no “critical mass” of any one region of India, Indian language spoken, or caste designation. We were taught to value commonalities over differences. As a result, my only exposure to caste-related designations and practices was in the home country.

My father arrived in the U.S. with aspirations and dreamt big. My mother started “along for the ride” but embraced the vision. They believed in the American dream, in endless opportunity, in working hard to help others. Crucially, they believed in adapting without abandoning identity. Taking the best of Indian values and American opportunity.

They believed in the melting pot.

I grew up as a cultural translator, code-switching before knowing the term. Too Indian for my American classmates, too American for my family in India—and sometimes even for my parents. School was lonely at times. Until my last year of middle school, I was the only brown face, an ambassador for a culture I was still figuring out myself. I was 13 before there were other people in school who looked like me. Even then, it was just one.

But here’s the gift I didn’t know I was given: I grew up with permission to bridge these worlds. Not remain stuck between them. It was an invitation I didn’t seek. This gift empowered me to take the best of both and build something more. I and other children of immigrants became expert navigators of cultural boundaries.

We learned to exist and succeed in spaces not designed for us.

We inherited our parents’ courage, even if it manifested differently.

We discovered that being between worlds isn’t the same as being lost.

It meant seeing both worlds more clearly.

Every immigrant story is unique and universal. In the crossing of oceans and the bridging of generations, we see the essential American story. We’re all between worlds, honoring where we came from while claiming where we’re going.

About the Author

Suchi Sairam is an Indian-Texan-Minnesotan-American with her feet firmly and proudly planted in multiple cultures and identities. She is equally an engineer and artist, leader and entrepreneur, student and teacher. Learn more at www.suchisairam.com and follow her on Instagram @suchisairam.

About Publish Her Immigration Story

Publish Her Immigration Story is a digital series that honors and humanizes the diverse experiences and voices of immigrant, Indigenous, refugee and first-generation women; this series is also a prologue to a forthcoming anthology. These personal narratives explore resistance, survival, new beginnings and what it’s like to live as a marginalized woman in the U.S. Submit your story.

About Publish Her

Publish Her is a female-founded publisher dedicated to educating authors and elevating the words, writing and stories of women. We are passionate about amplifying the voices of women of color, women with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We aim to make publishing an attainable, exciting and collaborative process for all.