This week’s Statement Magazine looks into the lives, struggles,
and triumphs of first-generation college students at the
University. Here are a few other inspiring first-gens.
3B
Magazine Editor:
Ian DIllingham
Deputy Editor:
Natalie Gadbois
Editor in Chief:
Jennifer Calfas
Managing Editor:
Lev Facher
Copy Editors:
Hannah Bates
Laura Schinagle
Emma Sutherland
THE statement
THE LIST
HOWARD SCHULTZ
The lauded CEO of Starbucks attended Northern Michigan
University, the first in his Brooklyn-based family to do so.
VIOLA DAVIS
The Tony and Emmy-winning actress came from small-
town Rhode Island before ending up in Hollywood.
MICHELLE OBAMA
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Michelle and her
brother both attended Princeton University.
BUZZFEED, BUT BETTER
FIRST AND FOREMOST
SONIA SOTOMAYOR
“I was going to college and I was going to become an
attorney, and I knew that when I was ten. Ten. That’s no
jest.”
BILL CLINTON
Growing up in poverty in Arkansas, Clinton says he knew
from a young age he wanted to go into public service.
1
3
5
CAPITALISM?
ON THE
RECORD
“It’s not just enough that we have a green economy
... we need a fair economy. That means we need
principles.”
–AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST NAOMI KLEIN, in a talk at
Rackham on Monday.
***
“Companies run by women are nicer to visit and the
board meetings are better to go to — discussions are
more patient; there’s less drama. I’m starting to over-
index that way — it’s not affirmative action, it’s a good
life.”
–CHRIS SACCA, head of Lowercase Capital, a major investor
in Twitter, at a conference on Tuesday.
My Cultural Currency: Hair
M
y hair is high mainte-
nance.
Despite
what
my
previous columns might imply
— ahem, weddings — it’s the only
thing, really, that’s high mainte-
nance about me.
It started when I was born on
Oct. 18, 1996, and I’m not saying
this for dramatic effect.
As soon as my mom saw me, she
had my dad rush out to get hair clips
so that she could see my face clearly
instead of just a giant black mop on
a tiny human body. In every picture
I have from the day I was born, my
scalp is adorned in tiny butterfly
clips.
So I guess you could say my hair
has been a huge, divisive issue for
my family and me since day one.
I have a lot of hair. My mom has
a lot of hair. All of my aunts, grand-
mothers, female cousins, and my
sister have a thick mane of jet black,
shiny hair. It’s both an advantage
and disadvantage of being Indi-
an. I never have to tease my hair
to “volumize” a damn ponytail,
but, on the other hand, it requires
industrial strength hair clips and
ties to keep it in place.
When I was younger, my mom
would slather every strand of my
hair in coconut oil religiously every
two days. The cobalt blue Para-
chute bottle was an institution in
the Madhani household for most of
my formative years.
“It keeps your hair neat,” she
said as she massaged my scalp with
a force so vigorous that my neck
would start to cramp. “You’ll thank
me later when you’re 30 years old
and your hair still looks the same.”
But a 6-year-old doesn’t under-
stand the concept of turning 30 and
neither does a 13-year-old, which is
the age I decided to stop allowing
my mother to oil my hair. She had
cycled the five stages of grief over
the course of a week before excom-
municating me for another.
Like I said, hair is a Big Deal for
my family and me.
Monday/Denial: “What are you
talking about you’re not letting me
put Parachute in your hair? Go get
the bottle right now.”
Tuesday/Anger: “There’s no way
you’re not oiling your hair today. I’ll
drag you by your ponytail if I have
to.”
Wednesday/Bargaining:
“OK
look, you can oil your hair only
once a week from now on.”
Thursday/Depression: “Oh my
god, Tanya your hair is not going to
look good when you’re older. Why
would you do this to me?”
Friday/Acceptance:
Unfortu-
nately, this particular step does
not exist for Indian parents. Or, at
least, definitely not mine. My dad is
still low-key hoping I do a 180 and
switch to pre-med. (I know you’re
reading this, Papa, and you know
it’s true.)
My decision to forgo coconut oil
was misguided teenage rebellion
— I was a good girl, so that was the
extent of my “acting out”— and I
quickly saw my hair deplete in both
its mass and quality.
But, as all teenagers are wont to
do, I refused to accept my mistake
and continued to avoid putting
coconut oil in my hair, like an idiot,
which is another way teenagers are
inclined to behave.
I just turned 19 a few weeks ago
and the prospect of turning 30 isn’t
so impossible or abstract anymore.
Ever since I’ve started college, the
stress has managed to make my
hair fall out in clumps continuous-
ly. My roommates and I frequently
find hair stuck on every imaginable
surface of our apartment.
We’re all hair oil defectors and
we’re all paying the price.
B Y TA N YA M A D H A N I
2
4
Wednesday, November 4, 2015 // The Statement
Design Editor:
Jake Wellins
Photo Editor:
Luna Anna Archey
Creative Director:
Cheryll Victuelles