February 12, 2010    
by: Paul Pendergraft

Adam is a native Texan, born and raised in Corpus Christi. Adam is attending the University of St. Thomas as a graduate student. His passion for learning has given rise to the desire to serve his home community in Corpus Christi. On this path, Adam has discovered the importance and value of gathering knowledge along the way...learning about himself and his world as he explains in his essay for KUHF's This I Believe.

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Adam is the youngest of four children and the only son. He was always a curious person, even as a child. He also says he knew his life would expand well beyond his hometown. He comes from a large-extended family with many relatives. But Adam's maternal grandmother was the person the family revolved around. Adam says she was the "anchor" of the family. When she passed away a few years ago, it dramatically affected Adam, his parents and his sisters. He looks back now and believes that event may have been one of the things that led him on his current path. He's now finishing academic work at St. Thomas and one day, he hopes to return to Corpus Christi. Serving his hometown are motivating factors in Adam's life.

Here's Adam Peña with his essay for KUHF's This I Believe.
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"I believe in learning.

I believe in learning that takes me beyond myself. Learning gives me the opportunity to relive the past and create a future while still physically inhabiting the present.

I believe in learning because it allows me to celebrate, as Dewitt Jones of National Geographic encourages, what is right with the world and yet still recognize what is wrong with it. Learning is like the light needed to play with a kaleidoscope because it highlights the different colors, changing contours, and colliding configurations that the world possesses and offers to me.

With learning, I have, as Emerson suggests, to "go where there is no path and leave a trail for others". Learning provides me the opportunity to question and in my questioning, I am led to new experiences. Echoing the words of singer/songwriter Ben Harper, my soul becomes as open the sky with learning. My passion for learning supplies the continuous creative curiosity that pervades my soul.

I have a passion for learning and here is why. It is quite simple actually; learning is part of who I am. I have grown personally because I have had to learn from my mistakes and challenges. I can be what I want be and choose who I want to be because I have had to learn who I am through life experiences. Learning opens new aspects of who I am and who I am becoming. It constantly cuts fresh facets into my character.

Life is learned. This I believe."

February 5, 2010    
by: Paul Pendergraft

Tisha is completing her final year in the Master in Professional Accounting Program at the University of Texas. Tisha is a native of Katy, but her parents hail from Nepal. The Nepalese culture is something that Tisha has grown to appreciate and it's the focus of her essay for Houston Public Radio's This I Believe.

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Tisha is the youngest of three children. She has a sister, who is a teacher in Austin and a brother, who is an investment banker in New York. Her parents still live in Katy and that's where the family calls home. Tisha says learning about the Nepalese culture from her grandmother has helped connect her to her roots. Tisha's essay was a part of her college application for UT, and she acknowledges that was also an opportunity to express a deeply held belief that being different is ok, in fact, she says it's a good thing.

Here's Tisha Shrestha with her essay for Houston Public Radio's This I Believe.
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"I believe that acceptance starts with your self. I am brown. When you first meet me, it's obvious, given my Nepalese background. But for the longest time, skin color was the only thing that made me Nepalese. Most of my life, I wanted to be the all-American, blue-eyed, blonde girl, but now I realize that there's more to being brown.

After years of thinking that everyone was the same, I found out how wrong I was during my fourth grade "All About Me'' project. I told classmates that my favorite color was pink, my favorite food was pizza, and I was married to a piece of fruit. Yes, married—to fruit. I know it sounds strange, but to me it wasn't a big deal because the ceremony seemed so natural and normal. My classmates had a different opinion.

"You married a piece of fruit?'' someone blurted out incredulously. I felt my face get warm as people started to snicker. My teacher told me to explain the cultural ritual and its meaning. I just shrugged because I didn't really know. After being humiliated, I decided that I did not want to be different anymore.

Years passed and I forgot about that day until a recent visit to Nepal. My family and I were reminiscing about our last trip when I asked my grandmother about the purpose of my marriage. At that moment, I realized how strange it was that I had taken so long to ask — I guess I just wanted to ignore anything that made me different from everyone else.

My grandmother explained how this marriage is a very special occasion in our Newari culture. Since the Nepalese society looks down on widows, upon entering adolescence, young girls marry a Bettlenut, representing God, so that they never become widows. I had no clue something so strange could be so meaningful — maybe being different wasn't so bad after all.

Now, as a student at the University of Texas, I have started to see the beauty of diversity. Although there are still those girls with the long, blonde hair that I used to envy, I don't have to seek their acceptance anymore. It's taken me awhile, but I've finally realized that the only acceptance I need is from me. Learning about my background and embracing it has helped me to see how special this brown girl really is. This I believe."