Cynthia Victor has spent a lifetime eagerly awaiting her next dream to take flight – literally. “Growing up, my family was very privileged and got to fly a lot more than the average American because my parents worked for the airlines,” she says. “We would go to Europe to visit my family members and I had no idea how cool that was until I got older and could understand it better. My favorite part of the trips would always be the experience of flying – the plane food, the crew members, and the unlimited movies I watched on the flight rides. It’s something that I thought I would grow out of, but to this day, the excitement of a plane ride still brings me so much joy. The level of happiness I experience is unmatched. That’s how my love for traveling and exploring began.” As a first-generation immigrant, Cynthia, known as Shawtysin to her nearly 2 million TikTok followers, is committed to raising visibility for the Tamil community. “Tamil is the oldest language in the world and the history of the Eelam Tamil people is easily overlooked because of the genocide. Being able to highlight the beauty of my culture can not only help preserve it and bring light to my people, but also allow them to finally grow and make a name for themselves.”
The ups and downs that she experienced throughout school incentivized her to support teachers, who are perpetually unappreciated and stretched too thin. “I grew up in Newark, where the education system is truly garbage. I had teachers take off the entire school year and leave students with substitutes who handed out packets. Even though we passed, we knew nothing about these subjects, which would put us further behind. But in that same school system, there were teachers who taught like it was their life calling. They made students excited to learn. The first time I thought about college and looked forward to going was when my 5th grade science teacher put the curriculum aside and told us about his college experience. He explained to us the world beyond our community and taught us the value of life experiences and good education. Good teachers changed my life. They were there for me in so many forms and did things my immigrant parents never could. They showed me the possibilities of the world. So many teachers I knew put so much of their own money and time into making our lives better. They were my haven. I grew up wondering why other people didn’t want to be teachers, but that’s when I learned how badly teachers are treated. Underpaid, underrepresented, and unapproved. So many of them had to take on second jobs or move on to private schools just to stay afloat. Knowing that, I made the decision that I would one day grow big enough to change this system, and if not me, I would find someone else to do it.”
Anti-bullying initiatives are a primary cause for Cynthia after she endured repeated racist taunts. “In middle school, I was made fun of for my ethnicity and how I looked every day. The lack of representation is one of the reasons I was targeted. I was the only child in the school who resembled an ‘Indian’ and the only representation the kids at that time knew of Indians was when The Cheetah Girls went to India. Most of the kids would have their hands in a praying position over their heads and dance up and down whenever they saw me.” Cultivating an open line of communication with kids is essential. They need to know that they are loved and supported. “The first and most important thing parents can do to support their children when/if they face harassment is listen. Sometimes children just need an outlet to express their emotions and talk about what they went through. They don’t need their parents to play superhero roles, they just need someone to listen. From there, it’s an interactive process. As a parent, it may be hard to let your child go through hard times, but let them process it and decide what they want to do. Give them options. Teaching children about why others harass and what their intentions are can help the children understand the harasser and not let it affect them as much or at all.” These messages can also foster a positive relationship between kids and their mental health. “Mental health conversations with children are so much easier to have when they are exposed to speaking about their emotions freely at a young age. Introducing children to therapy and openly discussing feelings allows them to feel like they have safe environments to express themselves and they will.”
Emboldening a child in the classroom will equip them with the skills they need to approach any challenge. “Creating a more confident student happens in many ways. Words of encouragement, reading age-appropriate self-help books, and good self-talk are all things that can be done every day to boost not only a child’s confidence, but anyone’s.” Cynthia is fighting for every student to have a safe and rewarding school experience. “A more accessible US education system looks like equality in every school district. So that means more help to the students who need it. Free school lunches for everyone, better salaries for teachers, smaller classrooms, and better school curriculums.” That is a future that we can all get behind.
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Beauty Influencer Cynthia Victor on the Quest for Equitable Education. Photo Credit: Rony Anthony.
