Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines family as “a group of people who are related to each other.” Although this definition seems quite simple on the surface, everyone knows family is much more than people you are simply “related” to.
As I navigate through my days as a transfer student at Davis, I find the topic of family reoccurring in my thoughts. Personally, I do not know where I would be without my family. Being away from home, I’ve found that the value of my family is much different than what it was last year. Now that I think about it, it is the support and reassuring words throughout my life from family that have helped me believe that I can pursue my wildest dreams.
Talking to women from India during my travels, whether it be my cousin’s friends or a stranger I met on the train, I noticed that most seem to have a common denominator that holds them back from pursuing their dreams: a lack of family support. Now I know there are plenty of women who, despite lacking family support, are able to reach whatever they want. However, I do believe that with family support, plenty of women who do not have the courage to pursue their dreams would gain the confidence to do so. Of course, there are a multitude of other factors such as socioeconomic status and education that influence a woman’s ability to pursue what she would like. I am fortunate enough to have those around me constantly push me and offer encouraging words towards my path to pursue medicine. But I have realized that unfortunately, not all women have the same luxury that I take for granted.
Although it is simply a wishful thought, I hope women who are too afraid to pursue their dreams simply because of negative feedback find the support they need in some shape or form. It’s an unfortunate reality for a lot of women to not be supported by their families. Hopefully, there are increasing resources for women to be empowered within their abilities so that they in fact do set out to pursue their dreams.
This makes me grateful for my opportunities at UC Davis and organizations such as Her Campus and other various support networks that allow women to be in safe spaces. I would encourage you all to explore the resources that Davis has to offer both professionally and socially; you might be surprised at what you find.
None of the images used belong to Her Campus or the author.