ADVANCING THE MISSION
Alumna publishes book illustrating the biases and imprints of culture
When she graduated from Stevenson , then Villa Julie College , with a B . S . in Business Communication , Bijal Shah knew that writing was important to her , but she could have never predicted how that passion for storytelling would lead to her debut illustrated book , For the Love of Laxmi : Everyday Desi Biases and the Imprints They Leave .
Shah was born in India and moved to the United States when she was ten . “ My childhood was interesting ,” she explains . Like many immigrant children , she constantly found herself being raised between two cultures , trying to hold on to some parts of her Indian identity while assimilating to life in Maryland .
Out of concern for meeting familial and cultural expectations , Shah began her college career as a chemistry major . After a few changes of majors , including a brief stint in accounting , Shah landed in the Business Communication program and finally felt at home . Following graduation in 2007 , Shah moved to Seattle before settling in New York , where she launched a career in marketing .
All these experiences influenced the creation of her book ’ s heroine , Laxmi . Through Laxmi ’ s inner dialogue , readers see how words can form a child ’ s identity and insecurities . In a recent interview with Seema , a multidimensional platform that focuses on connecting women of Indian origin , Shah shared , “ The ideal target reader is someone in their mid-30s and after . The book was created with the idea of being able to reflect on similar moments in your life and seeing their impact on you and your environment . I hope the book is used as a conversation starter among many generations ... I want these moments to be relatable , laughable , and a conversation starter that can lead to a mindful change in how we say things .”
Looking back on her time at Stevenson , Shah credits a lot of her personal and professional development to Professor Heather Harris . “ Culturally , she had such a big impact ,” Shah explained . “ We [ the University ] were growing so quickly then , becoming a more diverse student body , and having a mentor like her was amazing . She gave me a sense of reality by asking me what I wanted rather than telling me where I was headed .” Shah says she took the lessons and conversations from Professor Harris ’ classroom into her professional life . “ Going to VJC when it was so small helped me navigate my career . I like to say , ‘ We never played small .’ Our professors pushed us to dream bigger . In our classes , we always talked about the greatest things we would do , and it was never considered crazy or out of touch .”
In April , Shah returned to Professor Harris ’ interpersonal communication class to discuss her writing process and professional journey with current students . “ She is so inspirational ,” said Communication Studies major Ernestine Butler ’ 24 . “ I felt like she was me , or the person I want to be in the future , from studying here , to going
Bijal Shah ‘ 07
to New York and trying new things .” For many students , including Butler , their key takeaway from Shah ’ s discussion was her advice to “ trust your gut .”
Shah explained that as a young professional she disliked interview questions related to sharing one ’ s five-year plan . “ I was so sick and tired of having a five-year plan ,” Shah told the students . “ It had no room to explore . Trust your gut . Trust that you have dimensions . If it wasn ’ t for all my life experiences , perspective , and knowledge of different industries , I don ’ t think I would have been able to write my book .”
For the Love of Laxmi is available from Amazon , Target , Barnes and Noble , and BAM . Shah is working on turning this first book into a three-part series . In Part Two , Laxmi reflects on her childhood as she prepares to enter college .
Visit Stevenson University Alumni Association on Facebook for more updates regarding this book series and other alumni news .
27 | VENTURES / SUMMER-FALL 2022