Sarnya KP emigrated to Woonsocket in 2014 from India when she joined her husband, who was called to work in the city. It was during Sarnya’s time living in Woonsocket that she decided to completely switch careers from engineering to social work. She currently works for a non-profit in Providence called Family Service of Rhode Island, where she is a Program Director for their School Based Programs. With her work she is making Rhode Island schools trauma informed by providing training to school staff and connecting students to needed mental services. All is to act as an early intervention model and prevent trauma exposure/victimization of children. Sarnya says, ‘The work I do in my career has aided children, schools and families in (the) Woonsocket community to get trauma informed and has supported them in their healing process’.
In addition to the work in her career, Sarnya has been playing a vital role, for the past 10 years, in connecting the Indian community to the city of Woonsocket. Having planned and organized events to help them feel less lonely in the city, events that have both her home culture and American culture. ‘My Indian community looks to me as a leader who is always available to help them out with anything, when they need it.’ Sarnya continues to add, ‘I have helped them get comfortable in connecting with others outside (the) Indian community. They come to me when they have questions about the American way of things..” Sarnya describes her Indian culture as one of the oldest speaking languages in the world (Tamil). She states, “In my community I have never looked at it as work, but when I look back now I can say that I have been an initiator, planner, organizer, and implementer of various events for my community. Which has indirectly helped all of us feel better, prevent homesickness, feel connected in a new country and overcome migration difficulties”.
She expresses that some of the greatest challenges she faced when moving here included: having to navigate a new culture and new environment without much support from the city, learning to speak a new language, knowing how to get around transportation barriers and encountering legal restrictions to work. Despite having been in Woonsocket for 10 years, it was only this past year that Sarnya has been able to come to explore some places in the city and still does not know some of the major buildings that exist in the city, like City hall or the museum. Because of lack of support from the city upon arriving, Sarnya would like to see tours setup for migrants in the city, so that they can get acclimated with the different places that are in Woonsocket. She would also like to see the city of Woonsocket develop a system where resources that are available in the city are shared with all migrants when they come to the city, even if they do not want to come out and join tours. Sarnya admits “It has taken almost 8 years for me to find some Facebook pages in Woonsocket that share valuable information’. She wishes that these information are shared with migrants to make the experience rich for both migrants and the city. Sarnya believes that ‘continuing to have spaces like GBB Multicultural Connection where people are welcome with understanding of where they are coming from and what challenges they might face as an immigrant can help them come out more, feel connected with the city and contribute more for the well being of the city’.
Being away from her aging parents is something that weighs heavily on Sarnya and on migrants. She misses the vibes her culture has around their cultural festivals, as well as the busyness, the warmth and the sensory overload that happens there. To remedy this feeling she celebrates most of the festive occasions at home, where she makes traditional sweets and food, in addition to dressing up traditionally whenever possible. Sarnya chooses to share the festivities with her neighbors and community, while decorations in the home help her feel connected to her own country on a daily basis. She also teaches Indian dances for children as well as teaches them an Indian language to help them stay connected with their roots.