The Courage She Drew

English | Español | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | Tagalog | Tiếng Việt

When I was growing up in Bangladesh, my mom insisted that my sister and I attend art classes, dance classes, and poetry recitation competitions. As a child, I found it exhausting. I wanted to finish my homework and play, not spend weekends preparing for another competition. Looking back now, I understand she wasn’t trying to make my childhood difficult; she was helping us discover confidence we didn’t yet know we had.

This drawing is one of the treasures I kept from that time. I drew it when I was six years old, in first grade, for a Bangladesh Independence Day art competition. It shows my sister and me holding the Bangladeshi flag, honoring the people who sacrificed their lives during the 1971 Liberation War. The endless green reminds me of the rice fields surrounding my grandmother’s home where I spent much of my childhood. The red circle of our flag and the heart on my sister’s shirt represent the blood of those who fought for our country’s freedom. And the oversized red sun? That’s simply because six-year-old me loved the color red and used every bit of my red crayon with complete joy.

This drawing belongs to a younger version of me; one who didn’t yet know she would someday leave Bangladesh at 19 to build a life halfway across the world. Today, when I look at it, I don’t just see a child’s artwork. I see the confidence that grew from those competitions, the love my mother quietly poured into my future, and the home that continues to shape who I am. That little girl, who sometimes complained about another art class, is the reason I have the courage to navigate life on my own today.

Photo caption if needed.

Sabikun Priotyr • Age 24 • Santa Rosa resident

Sabikun is an international student from Bangladesh. She moved to Sonoma County in 2021 at the age of 19 to attend Sonoma State University, where she recently earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics. She has spent her young adult years growing, studying, working, and building a sense of home in Sonoma County. She currently works as a math coach at a tutoring center, and this fall she will begin a Doctor of Education (EdD) program in Mathematics Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.