Arun’s friends and family describe him as a kind-hearted, witty, and brilliant person-like many nonspeakers, he has faced boundaries and obstacles set down by those who underestimate him. But, he continues to persevere and embody humanitarianism! He and his mom met with me over Zoom to share his thoughts to our burning questions!
~Bryana
Bryana: Arun, I’m so pleased to meet you and your mom! You were nominated and selected as a spellebrity in the category of humanitarians. What makes YOU think this category is fitting for you?
Arun: I AM SUCH A GREAT HUMANITARIAN BECAUSE I AM CARING. I LOVE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS. SOMEDAY I WANT TO BE A VETERINARIAN.
Bryana: I LOVE that! I started out on the vet school track myself until I found speech pathology. Other than the pursuit of vet school, what is bringing you life and joy these days? Tell us about it.
Arun: WHAT BRINGS ME JOY IS MY AMAZING FAMILY AND FRIENDS. MY MOM IS MY BEST ADVOCATE, SHE IS JOYFUL FOR ME. I LOVED OUR RECENT TRIP TO Nova Scotia. WE DROVE 18 HOURS TO VISIT FAMILY BECAUSE PLANE RIDES ARE NOT SAFE BECAUSE OF COVID.
Bryana: Whew, 18 hours is no joke: I’m glad you were able to see your family and spend that time connecting. My next question for you is: What does communication mean to you?
Arun: I AM HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE MY DESIRES. I HAVE A PLEASING MOM TO HELP ME. I LOVE THE NONSPEAKING COMMUNITY. I HAVE AN UNCONTROLLABLE MOTOR SYSTEM THAT KEEPS ME STUCK AND SOMETIMES LOST.
Bryana: If you could give an award to another speller, who would you pick?
Arun: I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND BEN WHO IS AN ADVOCATE AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE.
Bryana: What is something you want readers to know about you?
Arun: I AM LOVING AND KIND AND I HAVE A LOVE FOR SCIENCE AND MATH.
Bryana: From the little I know of you, that all seems extremely apt :) Let’s dive into this a little more with an unusual question: If you were a Starbucks drink, how would you describe yourself?
Arun: JUST A PLAIN HOT DRINK THAT’S YUMMY AND SWEET
Bryana: That sounds perfect to me! Thank you both so much for your time, I’m sure the rest of the spellerverse will enjoy hearing all you have to say.
A brilliant mind who has jumped through hurdles of being underestimated. He’s “proud because I have special skills. I am great in math and I love science.” Arun is happy and lives to the fullest. “I love hockey and swimming. I love to travel especially to Hawaii.” Arun was also nominated as an I-ASC Spellebrity
