I have been holding on to this cap for more than seven years now. It’s more than just an ordinary cap to me. I remember I had it in my handbag when I fist landed at JFK Airport back in 2011. I left my everything behind but carrying this cap with me was my way of bringing a piece of my country over nine thousand miles.  The cap says “Bangladesh” in Bengali scripture right at its heart. The green and red colors of the cap is taken from the national flag of our country: the green background of the flag with a red circle in the middle stand for the glorious war for independence back in 1971, the war that brought the prolonged desired freedom after a bloody struggle for nine months.  This cap is for our national cricket team, a game that I am really passionate about. I kept playing this game for my high school after I moved to New York. Every time I go to the field, I wear this cap. I feel proud to wear it. I feel the pride to represent my country nine thousand miles away from my home. This cap is a way for me to remember my roots, to be responsible towards the society I came from, to remember and respect the glorious history and the culture that I am so proud to represent.

-Reaz Rahman

Macaulay Honors College at City College of New York

Electrical Engineering ’19