Exploring Identity and Culture: Anusha Sharma’s SBS Research Journey

Honors student and senior Anusha Sharma didn’t set out to write a children’s book when she began her thesis research. A global studies major, who minors in psychology and South Asian Studies and serves as a College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Student Ambassador, she started with questions about identity, culture and belonging, and how those ideas shape the way people see themselves across generations and borders. By the end of her project, that exploration had grown into something creative, practical, and deeply personal.

Instead of producing a traditional academic paper, Sharma transformed her honors research into a children’s book rooted in her academic focus on culture, identity and migration, particularly within the Hindu diaspora.

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Last summer, she put that focus into practice through a human-rights-focused internship in Kerala, India, where she worked with university and community partners on education and social-impact projects.

“Working in India let me see global issues from a completely different perspective,” Sharma said. “I got to see how education and community development actually work at the grassroots level.”

During the internship, she collaborated on outreach efforts and spoke with local families about access to schooling and resources. Those conversations later influenced the direction of her honors research.

“Some of the women I spoke with said their biggest hope for their kids was just getting an education and access to books,” Sharma said. “That really stayed with me.”

Back on campus, she centered her thesis on cultural belonging and representation. 

With encouragement from her advisor, she expanded the project beyond a traditional academic paper and turned part of it into a children’s book.

The result was The Colors of My Journey, a story that reflects the experiences of immigrant and first-generation children navigating two cultures at once.

“I didn’t see many stories growing up that captured that feeling of balancing two cultures,” Sharma said. “It’s easy to relate to someone when you open a book and think — that’s like me. We like the same food; we have the same hair. That’s what I wanted kids to have.”

Creating the book required more than writing. Alongside her academic research, Sharma studied trends in children’s literature, representation of characters of color and how cultural stories are framed. She developed the storyline and characters herself and worked through multiple illustrator cancellations and last-minute production setbacks before finally publishing the book.

“At one point I thought it was going to be stick figures on a page,” she said, laughing. “But it taught me to trust the process and figure things out even when the plan falls apart.”

That trial-and-error process reflected the intercultural and reflective skills she developed in her SBS coursework, particularly in Intercultural Competence: Culture, Identity, Adaptation, and Intercultural Relations. 

“We had students from all over the world talking about culture shock and identity,” she said. “It was very hands-on and conversation based. That class stuck with me.”

In her SBS Ambassador role, Sharma works with prospective and current students, helping connect them with programs across the college.

“There are so many opportunities in SBS, but you have to seek them out,” she said. “I like being able to share my experience and show students what they can do with this major.”

Sharma also explained that balancing all those — research, leadership roles and student support — comes down to structure and boundaries. 

“My Google Calendar basically runs my life,” Sharma said. “I have to write everything down and be realistic about my time. You also have to know when you’re on duty and when you’re off — your mental health and your schoolwork matter, too.”

For students taking on major projects or leadership roles, her advice is simple: Choose work that genuinely matters to you.

“Passion makes big goals manageable,” Sharma said. “Progress matters more than perfection.”

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