Today we’d like to introduce you to Sriya Srinivasan
Hi Sriya, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In the year 2020, stuck at home with nothing to do, I decided to pay a bit more attention to the Presidential Election, Didn’t know anything about politics as a 6th grader but ended up taking a Political Science class at my local community college. Engrossed with all the new information, eager to learn more, but disappointed by the lack of representation-disappointed that there was no one who looked like me. When the Vice President was elected, as a fellow Tamil Indian, I knew that this was a path I could take- one I wanted to take. Fast-forward to today- I’m a dual-enrolled Junior in High School at Solano Community College where I’m a 2x elect Student Trustee representing our nearly 10,000 students, along with being the Founder-President of the Reproductive Health Club (RHC). This past year, I’ve truly embraced my love of politics. Last month, my bill, AB 2229 (the Know Your Period bill), was signed by Gavin Newsom after a year of unanimous bipartisan support in the CA Legislature. A bill that came out of my personal 3-year story of losing my period and wanting to learn more about my menstrual cycle. My Reproductive Health Club (RHC) was able to open the first Repro Health Center in our county, which has the highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia in the state, within 5 months. Not only that, we became the first and only student-led club to receive an over $25,000 grant from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research. So, what this tells you about me is that I’m not afraid to push myself in places that my demographic is usually “unwelcomed” in. I push those norms and fight against the status quo to create community.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
How I wish I could say it’s been smooth sailing, yet in reality, it was the complete opposite. After deciding to take a path in politics I knew that I would have to face the “basic barriers”: including misogyny, gatekeeping, racism, ageism, etc etc. And though I did face those during my journey to today and will most definetly continue to expereince them- but what truely was the boulder I had to get over was self-doubt. I doubted if I had the resources to pass a bill, the skills to write a grant proposal, the time to run projects. I doubted if I would ever be able to meet any my goals. My environment didn’t help with that- I had people attempt to pray on my downfall, pull me down, and root for my failure. And yet everytime I turned to my “WHY”. Why was I trying to pass a bill? Why was I persistant in my goals? Why was I fighting for these iniatives? Those questions are part of my “WHY’ that pushed me past that self-doubt and turned those lingering thoughts into ways to fuel my motivation.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a dual-enrolled student, a large amount of my time is taken up being a student. Running from class to class, sending emails in-between, and Zooms in the afternoon: My 24 hours are filled to the brim. But being a full-time student has not been a barrier but rather a launchpad. My job is at the school, as a paid Student Trustee I spend my time on campus collecting information from my fellow students and speaking up for them at the College Board Meetings with Elected Trustees who NEED to hear that youth voice. Additionally, I am the Founder-President of the Reproductive Health Club meaning not only did we pass state legislation, open a Repro Health Center, and run numerous events, but we also have to now work on implementing that bill, providing those free resources, and continue to support our community. My work doesn’t stop there- I run a non-profit called Bloom 4 You which advocates for youth health and wellness through education, advocacy, and outreach! So when I look to all the work that I’m doing I’m noticing patterns of advocacy and policy and working to bring them together to create tangible change.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
With a plan to continue working in the policy sphere and reproductive justice movement I do hope that there will be some major shifts in the climate. Oftentimes you’ll hear me say, “I want to be a politician even though I dislike many of them”. This is because I often feel as though politicians aren’t a good representation of the people. They’re given scripts to read, statistics to show, but they can’t ever really represent the people unless they’ve lived like them before or heard them speak about their experiences before. At least in the political climate- I hope we can humanize the world of politics and start making the process to be involved less undemocratic and more accessible. As for the reproductive justice movement- people should start to open their eyes to it. Reproductive health shouldn’t be considered taboo or stigmatized as reproductive health is HEALTH. I hope that people start to understand this and feel more open to the idea of express their appreciation to those working in the space- and that includes helping youth get more involved.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_sriya.s_/
Image Credits
Srinivasan Arumugam – Sriya Srinivasan’s Father
