When Sneha Nangunoori ‘23 prepared to move to the United States this March, she had no idea of the massive hurdle that lay ahead of her: adapting to high school in a new country in the middle of a global pandemic. 

Nangunoori was born in California, and her memories of her first home are colored with exciting trips and bonds with friends and family in the state. She also notes that her education at the time was filled with practical, tangible experiences. 

“I remember the school’s science lab was filled with intricate models and science-based activities that helped us understand concepts on a deeper level,” Nangunoori said. “ I also remember that P.E and other extracurricular activities were valued and encouraged. Although we got a good amount of homework, I’d say overall my experience was stress-free and fun.” 

When Nangunoori was 10, her family moved to India so that they could reconnect with their extended family and heritage. While she was excited to spend time with her grandparents, Nangunoori also had negative perceptions of the country. Her perspective of what life would be like upon moving transformed as she settled into her new home. 

“When I was preparing to move, I bought into all the stereotypes I’d heard about India,” Nangunoori said. “I thought things would be unorganized and life would be rough. I also thought that I would be considered special because I was from America. I was in for a rude awakening. People did not seem to especially care that I was from a different country, and I learned to become self-dependent as I adapted to my new school. There was an emphasis on theoretical learning and note taking. However, I felt like people were more connected to each other and tight-knit. We couldn’t bring phones to school, and so we spent more time bonding.” 

After five years of living in India, Nangunoori’s family once again decided to relocate to the United States in 2020 for her and her brother’s higher education. Nangunoori reminisced about her last days in the school she’d grown to love, and found it extremely hard to part with her friends. News of the pandemic made the process more difficult. 

“Leaving my friends and grandparents to start anew in the US was very scary. I had no idea what high school would be like in the United States. I was unsure of how things like GPAs, AP classes, and SATs worked. I came to believe schools here prioritized fun, social activities over education, which I now know is absolutely not true. The COVID-19 pandemic added a whole new dimension of problems. I was scared of contracting the virus at some point in my move, and didn’t know whether I’d be able to even safely attend school.”

Nangunoori felt very insecure about her social image after moving. She was scared of being judged for being different, and this mindset affected her interactions with other people. 

“I was hesitant to make friends with new people here, in fear of losing touch with my friends back in India. I was scared of being judged for my unique experiences and way of talking. Although I met a few fellow Westwood students, it was hard for me to connect with them. I found myself in an entirely different environment. For example, while kids in India despised TikTok, kids here love it. And while kids in India didn’t have many activities outside school, every student here is involved in several clubs and sports. Online schooling made it almost impossible to bond with students, too.”

Although this was a trying time for Nangunoori, she found solace in that she was not alone in adapting to online school. She realized that there were many others struggling with the changes in education. The fact that she wasn’t alone in navigating schooling during the pandemic gave her strength. 

“My first few days of school were spent quietly observing the workings of online school and relationships between students and teachers in general. I was surprised to see students ask so many questions and engage in class discussions. This gave me the confidence to open up a little more. Break out rooms were crucial in helping me socialize with fellow students one-on-one. Witnessing even teachers struggle with online tools made me realize that this period of time was hard for everyone. I feel like this shared struggle has brought us all together in some ways.” 

Nangunoori was also surprised to meet several other students who’ve also moved from other countries to the United States. She notes that while international college students often find support in large numbers in international student bodies at universities, high school immigrants are left to navigate life here with little guidance. Consequently, she’s developed an innovative idea to address this problem.

“When I was first moving here, I tried searching for videos and articles about adapting to high school in America. Much to my disappointment, all of the results on YouTube and Google only provided guidance for college students. I found the need for an organized source of information to help high school students like me who are moving to the United States. I came up with an idea for an extensively detailed website that would provide information for high school students transitioning to the US. Information about credit translations, grading systems, and extracurricular activities would’ve been very useful to me early on. I am currently working on this resource and hope it’ll help immigrant high school students someday.”

Nangunoori looks forward to the day when she can finally attend Westwood in person. She has  been gathering information about activities at school, and has several in mind that she’s excited to try out this fall. She hopes for a productive and exciting start to her upcoming junior year.