As a kid, I never thought about my culture's representation in the media. In fact, the only thought on my mind at the time was just that I was different from the people on TV. Growing up, I started to have different thoughts: "Why can't I look like them?" or "Maybe I'm better off just being the dorky side character." Either way, the just media perpetuated stereotypes or didn't even bother including people who looked like me.

It's so important to have a diverse range of people portrayed in the media and above that, it's important that the media doesn't fuel the stereotypes rampant in our society. Stereotype threat is a real thing because when people continually see what society thinks they should be like, the pressure of that causes them to lose their individual identity and abilities, especially when it matters. They inadvertently conform to that negative stereotype, causing a vicious cycle.

To start off, we need to include different kinds of people in what we see every day, like the media. We have to start normalizing the diversity in our society without upholding any stereotypes. So, finding out about this new show, "Never Have I Ever" with a main character who is a first-generation Indian American Hindu girl, I was thrilled. I finally felt like there was the possibility that I could be the main character of my life. I feel like deep inside I was waiting for this kind of thing my whole life, even if I've never consciously thought it.

In light of the upcoming premiere on April 27th, I've been thinking a lot about the possible impact this show would have had on me if this show was on 10 years ago. Would I have become more confident in myself and loved my culture more? Would I have appreciated my own beauty and accepted that I set my own standards?

Even if I may never know, I hope that the other kids out there will watch this show and realize the things I wished I had learned when I was their age.