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Naimah Hares, South Asia Studies, Class of 2016.

 

1.  Where did you grow up and tell us a bit about your home town?

I was raised in West Philadelphia in a community made up of Bangladeshi people. Living only blocks away from Penn’s campus, I have seen a lot of physical changes since the 90’s. Starting with only three families around the mid 90’s, today there are over five hundred Bangladeshi’s residing in West Philadelphia. It has come a long way, with a community led Mosque, a number of halal groceries, and organized events. It’s nice to be able to take class and walk home if I ever miss Bengali food.  

2.  What spurred you to major/minor in South Asia?

After taking a SAST class on music and performance and realizing that there were aspects of my South Asian background that I was not aware of, I wanted to do some more exploring and decided to have the South Asia Studies Major. Additionally,  I would like to conduct some ethnographic research on the community development of the Bangladeshi people in West Philadelphia, which is why I also took a minor in sociology.

3.  What are your two favorite things about the South Asia Studies Major?

I appreciate the friendly atmosphere of the South Asia Studies department. I also think the department provides rare and innovative opportunities to do courses abroad and do research such as the C.U. in India program. 

4.  What do you think that your next steps will be?

My next steps are to record the oral histories of members of my community and have documentation on the development of such a community in Philadelphia. I also hope to one day become a lawyer.