Speaking Assignment – San Jose City College

And I just rambled on and on …

Prerna Speaking at SJCC – Life Story from TakePart With Ideas for Change on Vimeo.

I am tired of sharing this ‘life story’ no matter how intriguing it may seem. It’s better when I am given some direction such as ‘talk about the history of your activism and organizing efforts.’ I can draw from my days as a high school policy debater and then coach and judge for the Urban Debate Leagues. That is really how I gained a lot of insight into the injustices that exist in this world and learned about this country. Nothing compared to the feeling of going up against richer and more privileged kids and coming out victorious. Watching empowered inner-city kids debate topicality, rip out critiques of nuclearism and ‘run’ plan-plan counterplans was a complete thrill. It is also at that point that I decided to stray clear from becoming a stereotype and embrace a different path in life, that of a civil rights attorney. I am not there yet and my goals have slightly changed but it is on the agenda. I have lived so many different lives and identities in the past 9-10 years–a policy debater, a student government bureaucrat, a fan-fic writer, a janitor, administrator of 2-3 celebrity fan-sites, a blogger, a tech-geek, an avid cyclist, an immigrant rights organizer, an undocumented student activist, a social-networking guru, and someone who just craves normalcy and boredom. I cannot wait for it to all reconcile.