Samyudha Rajesh

I am a senior at the George Washington University in Washington D.C, USA. I was born in Chennai, India, and have since lived in 7 countries across 3 continents around the globe. Although I grew up around lots of change, one thing has remained a constant in life is the love and kindness I received from people around the world - friends, family, and even strangers. As I grew up, I realized that not everyone was granted the same blessing. Not everyone was raised to believe in themselves, or to believe that the world was a beautiful place, or that human beings were inherently good. I realized that so much of my worldview and what I thought was my inherent optimism was actually learned over time and inspired by those around me.