Oral History Interview with Samah Sharmin

DESCRIPTION
Oral history interview with Samah Sharmin, conducted by Philadelphia Fellow Maha Rahman.

Samah Sharmin is 20 years old and was born near Limerick, Ireland. She lives just outside of Philadelphia and attends the University of Pennsylvania. Samah explores her relationship with her family, particularly how her parents' expectations of her were influenced by her older sister’s choices, and how the relationship changed when she left for college. She explains she did not experience a diverse environment until she went to college. Samah shares her connection with the Bengali community around her growing up, telling stories of Eid parties and childhood friends. She contrasts this with the very different experience of being one of a handful of South Asians at a school with mostly white students, from whom she felt culturally alienated at times. She describes feeling a whiplash between the two identities, the two different lives between high school and home, when she would change clothes and become a different person. Samah’s experiences reveal the value of maintaining community, as it allowed her a space where she did not have to restrict or explain herself, where people intrinsically understood her, and where she felt her identity was fully understood and appreciated.

AUDIO
Duration: 01:27:33

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: September 15, 2022
Subject(s): Samah Sharmin
Type: Oral History
Language: English
Creator: Maha Rahman
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PROVENANCE
Collection: Maha Rahman Fellowship Project
Item History: 2024-04-03 (created); 2024-04-17 (modified)

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