The Death of the South Asian Overachiever

For most of Meghan Dhawan’s life, she grew up thinking something was wrong with her. A second-generation Indian from suburban New Jersey, her parents defined success as getting good grades, attending a good school, and working in a career with a high salary. But from a young age, Dhawan, 26, felt like she wasn’t measuring up. 

“It was really hard for me to just concentrate in classes,” Dhawan told The Juggernaut. When she was 8, the tests started. Her school made her piece together puzzles in what felt like “a jail cell.” She later found out that IQ tests were trying to see if she could “perform basic life skills.” Sometimes, her dad would suddenly pepper her with math questions, like “what’s 30% of 40?” Now, Dhawan defines success on her own terms. A film and TV writer, she’s opted out from certain expectations of acceptable careers and academic achievement.

South Asian Americans might have achieved what some might even call the zenith of excellence. Within a few short decades, the community has become tech CEOs, award-winning producers, and global pop artists. Indian Americans, specifically, are America’s richest demographic. In other words: we’ve made it. But a growing group of parents and second-generation kids are rethinking the rules, and the “excellence” that once defined them.