Ridhima Katare

Junior Ridhima Katare grew up in a close-knit community, where she remembers playing with the other kids in her neighborhood. Climbing trees, riding scooters and playing games with her friends took up most of her days. Katare remembers living a relatively carefree childhood, indulging in creative activities like painting and finding other ways to entertain herself when she was not with her friends. 

“I never had any big [concerns or worries]. It was daily concerns like, ‘I haven’t had Magi in so long, when is my mom [going to] go to India Cash and Carry and restock the Magi in the house?’” Katare said. “Now I feel like I just have a lot more stress because of my future. I’m scared for all aspects of my future, [even though] I know those fears are not really tangible.”

Katare feels that her amount of free time has decreased over the years, she now has less time to devote to artistic activities. She has also noticed her relationship with her once-close group of friends has changed over time. Rather than hanging out every day, Katare says that their interactions are limited to catching up on weekends. However, to Katare, their less frequent meetings make their time together more memorable. 

“I know our experiences were shared and we learned lessons together and grew up together,” Katare said. “The relationships you have with some of your oldest friends [are] maybe not the [same as the] friends that you speak to every single day. But at the end of the day, they’re the friends that matter.”