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They can choose: Usha Vance on raising kids in interfaith home
“We’re actually hoping to have a Holi party and we’re looking forward to that next year,” she said.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 27, Jun 2025
- 13:22 EDT
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Usha Vance / YouTube/Citizen McCain podcast
The second lady, Usha Vance, shared her experience of raising her three children in an interfaith household, recognizing both her Hindu heritage and her husband, Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic.
In an interview with Meghan McCain for her Citizen McCain podcast, Usha disclosed that the couple's children—Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel—attend catholic school but are being raised with exposure to both religions.
Also Read: "A time of great opportunity": Usha Vance on US-India ties
“They can choose whether they want to be baptised Catholic and then go through the whole step-by-step process with their classes in school,” she said, emphasizing they are aware she is not Catholic and are being introduced to Hindu traditions as well.
“When you convert to Catholicism it comes with several important obligations, like to raise your child in the faith,” she said, referring to her husband's conversion after their first child was born. “We had to have a lot of real conversations about how do you do that when I’m not Catholic, and I’m not intending to convert.”
Usha said their children engage with Hinduism through books, family experiences, and a recent trip to India. “Their main point of access is through spending time with my parents and my grandmother,” she noted, adding that her grandmother is a devout Hindu who performs daily prayers and temple visits.
Though the family doesn’t mark every Hindu festival at home, she said, “We’re actually hoping to have a Holi party and we’re looking forward to that next year.”
Usha also shared practical advice for those considering vegetarianism. “I was raised vegetarian in a cuisine that already accommodates all of the dietary needs of vegetarians,” she said, emphasizing beans, legumes, and eggs.
“The better way to do it is to have a number of smaller things on your plate... and to think about a meal in a more holistic way.”
As the first Indian American second lady, Usha said she doesn’t feel pressure but does recognize expectations from the South Asian community. “I am pretty well attuned to feeling pressure when I meet with older Indian people... that does give me a little bit of a sense of purpose,” she said.
Asked about the most enjoyable aspect of being second lady, Usha pointed to the experiences that come with the role. “Every interaction is an opportunity to show something about our country and to be a kind person to other people,” she said. “It makes it feel like an opportunity to sort of give something.”
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