Ambika Sharma is the joker in her family.
The 21-year-old University of Central Florida student likes meeting new people and getting to know them. She recently sat down with 21-year-old Mathew Powell, who identifies as non-binary.
“You said that you like the digital world more than the real one? Why is that?” Sharma asked.
Central Florida Public Media and StoryCorps are bringing together people with differing political views for guided conversations. For Powell, just sitting down for a One Small Step conversation made them nervous.
“Growing up, people weren't exactly the nicest to me,” Powell said. “So I kind of like, retreated into my bedroom.”
Meet Ambika Sharma
Ambika Sharma lives in Orlando, and is planning on attending law school in August.
Her family immigrated from Guyana in South America, and she said those stories have really driven her. She remembers her father seeing her eating an apple and laughing.
He told her was nearly 30 years old the first time he had an apple and a chocolate bar all to himself.
“I feel like for me, a lot of my motivation in school and everything has been my parents' story,” Sharma said. “Some of them, with my aunts and uncles, it's like, these horror stories about how they got to this country. So in my head, it's like, it's my job to do the absolute best I could do, make the most out of everything.”
Right now, though, that means she spends her time focused on academics. And when she has free time, she spends it with friends, watching TV - “fun stuff.”
“So something that I honestly know I could improve on is being more aware, more educated on things that I’m not,” Sharma said. “Immigration is obviously a huge part of my family and my life, and I’m a person of color, things like that. But something I could definitely improve on is becoming more educated on policies and issues that don’t directly impact me or my family.”
Meet Mathew Powell
Mathew Powell was born in the Philippines, but came to the U.S. as a four-month-old baby.
Powell’s father was in the Air Force, and is now a disabled veteran. Growing up, they said they felt isolated, which led them to retreat and spend time on YouTube. That helped shape their political beliefs.
When it comes to politics, Powell said they lean more liberal “than what the U.S. allows.” They are a big proponent of Universal Basic Income.
“And I have, like, really strong stances on the stereotypical leftist liberal issues, things like diversity, inclusion, education,” Powell said. “Basically, if you correlate the political left to being anti-capitalist, I suppose that should tell you a lot about my political values.”
Powell, 21, is also a student at UCF. Powell said it’s hard for them to take those beliefs and turn them into action.
“I'm too anxious to be an advocate, and that makes me feel bad sometimes,” Powell said. “I wish I wasn't so anxious, and I could also do those actionable things.”
The Takeaway
For Powell, the conversation made them want more people to be able to have conversations with people who aren’t like them.
“It made me think a lot about people’s different experiences, especially yours with your parents and the immigration thing and how people come from different countries to have a better life,” Powell said.
Sharma agreed that listening is a great way for people to understand each other and not villainize one another. Sharma said her grandparents had eleven siblings - and could only afford to send the oldest and the youngest to college.
“My mom will think of that and be like, no matter how many issues there are in this country, this is why I can go to law school,” Sharma said. “There are issues here, but when they think of the life they had, it’s kind of like, this is good. This is the place to be, you know.”
