Leaving a familiar life behind, traveling halfway across the world during a pandemic and attending a new school system were just a few of the challenges Yuktha Chowdary(11) faced when she moved from Hyderabad, India to Memphis, Tenn. in August. Though she never anticipated Memphis would become her new home, Chowdary has experience living in the US. before. She has visited New York, Washington, Texas, California and Florida since her dad works as a film director, producer and screenwriter. “We never really thought we would come to Memphis because when you think of America, you don’t really think of Memphis,” Chowdary said. For their trip, Chowdary and her family were worried about flying because they would have to stop in cities with many COVID-19 cases, including Delhi and New York City. Another worry for her family was that they do not have any friends or family in Memphis. “After we came here we relaxed a little bit because we saw what things looked like, and my dad found out he does actually have a friend here,” Chowdary said. “So everything worked out in the end.” Before traveling to Memphis, she and her family were worried about how people would treat them. Luckily, they were pleasantly surprised. “Memphian people seem to be very warm-hearted and very kind,” Chowdary said. “And I was actually worried about my accent and the way I speak because it’s very different, but nobody made fun of me for it, which I’m very thankful about.” Chowdary decided to enroll at White Station High School after a month of looking at other school choices in Texas and California. The high level of diversity and warm-hearted people at White Station stood out to her and made her decision easy. In hopes of coming back to in-person school sometime in the near future, Chowdary feels comfortable about fitting in with the other students from the warm welcome she received through her online classes and clubs. “I expect my in-school experience next year to be good. I haven’t seen any online bullying, so I am pretty confident about going back to real school and fitting in with other people,” Chowdery said. The most distinct difference Chowdary noticed between Hyderabad and Memphis was the freedom of expression and the diversity in clothes people wore. “I noticed the more freedom people had to express themselves in whatever way they want to here,” Chowdary said. Here I have seen so many interesting couples and it just makes me feel so happy because, wow, I didn’t get to see this back home. Whether it’s through fashion or having the privilege of expressing themselves through various forms of art — that is something that is not really found in Asia.”