My extended family is from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India & is settled in Chennai. I was born there, in Washermenpet. My parents were already working in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & I was brought back there as a baby. I grew up there, going to Our Own English High School & Sharjah English School. In 2009, during the recession, my family immigrated to Canada.

What you don’t see in this snapshot is that I was a third-culture kid, both in the Gulf & Canada. I never fit in & when I did, it was usually with the group of misfits. But there were spaces where I felt like I fit in: church & swimming. I was a competitive swimmer, competing at regional & provincial levels. However, in 2012, I sustained a back injury which marked the beginning of my chronic pain journey. This is important to mention for two reasons. First, living with mental illnesses, complex migraine disorder, & chronic pain allows me to empathize with others who live with chronic conditions, are in pain, or are differently abled. Second, while this injury limited how competitive I can be, it taught me to be my swim mates’ biggest cheerleader. Friends still comment on how loud & rambunctious I can be when I am cheering them on. I kid you not, I have won numerous awards for cheering, spirit, & sportsmanship.

This theme of being a cheerleader continues in my life. 

I volunteered at a maternity hospital in Washermenpet in 2013 & even got to attend a birth at Langley Memorial Hospital in 2014 where I cheered birthing people on in various capacities. I coached my high school’s swim team, cheering my swimmers on until I went to university. There, I found my people - nerds, misfits, science enthusiasts, conversationalists, so on & so forth. Being on the student council, I would voice the needs of the student body. At this time, I also began working as a swim instructor & would cheer on my little kiddos! In the midst of all of this, I was informally supporting parents after the birth of their baby, without knowing there was  a name for the work I did. Now, I want to empower expecting & new parents. Support them in finding their voice & cheer them on as they begin the marathon of parenthood. 

Having been bullied & intentionally excluded, I embrace a “no one left behind” philosophy. This philosophy is what makes me a fierce queer ally & drives my attention to BIPOC/BIPGM communities. Feel free to reach out to me if you think we would be a good fit, especially if you are becoming parents in a “nontraditional” route. I would like to clarify that making sure to include some communities does NOT exclude others. It just means that I would like to represent & care for communities who have been excluded systemically, structurally, & institutionally in the past.