By Jessica Maricevic
Aiyana DeSouza, a 9th grade student at Rye High School, has some advice for everyone: “Your family is pretty interesting. Take advantage of learning about your rich culture and history.”
DeSouza should know. As part of the Greenwich Historical Society’s “My Story, Our Future: South Asian American Youth Voices in Connecticut” program, she created a podcast featuring an interview with her father, who immigrated from India, and discovered surprising details about his experience growing up in a military family, moving frequently throughout the country.
The program, which opened Feb. 2, is the third annual event of its kind and at its opening, remarks from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, and leaders from partnering organizations, celebrated the students’ work. Attendees engaged with the personal stories behind the powerful exhibits.
In addition to DeSouza, other local participants included 8th graders Sohm Mandhare and Armando Ramirez of Rye Middle School. Alongside their peers from Connecticut and neighboring New York suburbs, the Rye students explored their family histories to create exhibits reflecting deeply personal stories, often missing from mainstream archives. Using oral histories, artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia, the students brought to life narratives rich with history and emotion.
“I learned a lot about my family and discovered why my father moved, the impact it had on his family, the opportunities he got, and how he made use of those opportunities.” DeSouza said, adding she hopes her work will inspire others to look into their own histories.
Mandhare, who explored cultural identity and gender through his grandmother’s story, shared insights about the generational struggles faced by South Asian women, specifically those in India.
“Her in-laws resented her for giving birth to daughters. That’s not something she could control,” Mandhare said. His work illuminated how cultural expectations shaped many South Asian women’s experiences.
Building on this theme of personal history attached to South Asian heritage, Armando Ramirez also shared his discoveries.
“Our family, our culture, minimizes what we’ve been through and what we have done. I didn’t realize half the stuff my grandmother has done and what she’s been through,” Ramirez said.
The exhibit, a collaboration between the Historical Society, the India Cultural Center (ICC), and the University of Connecticut’s Asian American Studies program, showcases the societal contributions of South Asian Americans while preserving their personal stories. The initiative aligns with the Connecticut State Department of Education’s K-12 Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum, which is set to debut statewide in the fall of 2025.
Jason Chang, a UConn professor and one of the architects of the curriculum, emphasized the importance of community partnerships in uncovering untold stories. He noted the significance of the 2024-2025 cohort’s contributions.
“We’ve integrated content from these students’ oral histories into the curriculum, enriching the teaching experience with perspectives not often included in existing resources,” Chang said.
“My Story, Our Future: South Asian American Youth Voices in Connecticut” runs through March 2 and offers visitors an opportunity to engage with personal stories of resilience, identity, and the diverse experiences that shape South Asian American history. Located at 47 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT, the museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit greenwichhistory.org.
