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Cultural discrimination inspired mental health advocacy, says Arkansas teen Siyona Karkera
First Indian American Miss Arkansas Teen USA discusses mental health advocacy, policy work, representation, and expanding awareness for children across Arkansas
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 18, Jun 2026
- 15:12 EDT
- 38
Siyona Karkera / Instagram/ Siyona Karkera
Long before she became the first Indian American to win Miss Arkansas Teen USA, Siyona Karkera was a young girl of colour struggling to find where she fit in.
Growing up in Arkansas as the daughter of Indian immigrants, she rarely saw classmates who looked like her or shared her experiences. The sense of isolation she felt during those years would eventually become the foundation of a mental health advocacy campaign that now reaches students, educators, policymakers, and families across the state.
Also Read: Siyona Karkera renews Arkansas children’s mental health pledge
"A lot of what my mental health work around children started with feeling cultural discrimination," Karkera told New India Abroad. "Growing up in a primarily white elementary and middle school, I felt kind of left out."
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