Neha Cheemalavagu is in the computational biology graduate program at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned first team All-Association honors twice and second team accolades once competing in soccer at Case Western Reserve University from 2014-17. She garnered UAA All-Academic recognition each of the three years she was eligible while majoring in biology and psychology.
The UAA “Conversations About Race and Racism” series seeks to lift the voices of people of color and recognize the challenges faced in both athletics and academics at the collegiate level. By sharing personal stories, we hope to elevate the conversation about race to raise awareness and bring about change.
Academic Stereotypes
“There are stereotypes for every race and as an Indian, people expect me to do well academically with little or no expectations for me athletically,” Cheemalavagu explained. “Whenever I would join a new team, people would not see me as competition based solely on my appearance. This always made me want to prove them wrong and stand out as a player. I think that helped pushed me to improve, particularly when I was younger.”
Cheemalavagu noted that the stereotype of being strong academically extends into the social arena. “People think I should be smart, but also socially inept. The last thing they expect to see is an Indian who has trained most of her life to compete as an athlete and as someone who does not just spend all of their time studying,” she commented. “I think people are often shocked when I talk about my interests because they do not usually fit the more traditional Indian hobbies like classical dancing.”
Similarities Rather Than Differences
“Racially, I did not face a lot of challenges as a student-athlete. I expected to deal with it on a regular basis, but I was pleasantly surprised,” she communicated. “In the beginning, people sometimes assumed I was not social and would be awkward around people. It made the first month or so of college a bit strange, but it passed pretty quickly. I think it will generally get better as people are exposed to more Indian athletes.”
While many people focus on differences between people, Cheemalavagu prefers to see the similarities. “I think misconceptions usually stem from people’s assumptions about Indian culture based on what they see in the media. I was often asked about my family, whether they were strict or not, and whether they supported me playing soccer,” she described. “I understand where that comes from, but it is hard to hear so many people assume that my parents were not supportive of me being an athlete. In fact, my parents sacrificed a lot so that I could play soccer competitively and have the chance to be a collegiate athlete. The other thing that comes to mind is when people talked about future career and family goals. It sometimes felt as if they were surprised when our goals were similar in spite of us being at the same school for similar reasons.”
The Roles of the Head Coach and Teammates
“Head coaches have the most responsibility with respect to the team because they are the leader. While they obviously cannot see and hear everything going on with the team, more often than not they have a pretty good idea of the conversations going on,” Cheemalavagu remarked. “If they hear something inappropriate, they should deal with it immediately. These expectations should be made clear from the beginning, just as they are with training expectations.”
“If a player does act in an inappropriate way, I believe it is the coach’s responsibility to follow through with whatever punishments they have previously outlined,” she continued. “The team’s success is not as important as tackling racism.”
Cheemalavagu points out that there is not a lot of diversity at the NCAA Division III level. “While that is likely unintentional, it does reinforce the stereotypes that certain races are not athletic and not capable of competing. I think it is the responsibility of teams to make sure that all of their players feel valued. When teammates hear others commenting on stereotypes that they are know from experience are false, they should speak up.”
Student-Athletes Moving Forward Individually and Collectively
“While everyone’s experience is so different, what worked for me was really focusing on my goals and keeping those in mind no matter what was going on in my life. It also helps to have a group of friends who you trust enough to be candid with and not be forced to hold your tongue,” she recommended. “When you surround yourself with kind and genuine people, it helps you remember that the majority of people out there are on your side and want to learn about racial inequities.”
In terms of racial harmony on a greater scale, Cheemalavagu wants to see elevated conversations become a habit. “I think conversations about race need to keep happening. It cannot just fade away and become an afterthought when people get ‘too busy,’” she stated. “These conversations should include people of all races. If we actually want to change things, we need to hear and understand people’s views and possible misconceptions.”