Dear You,
Everything you’re going to need in your life is in you. You may not have all the money or the freshest sneakers or the parents who can guide you. Maybe you work three times harder to get your homework in on time because you have a job after school. Whatever the circumstance, remember the fabric of your life and your struggles give you something to say in this world that make people want to listen.
This was a hard lesson for me to understand when I was your age. Up until seventeen, life was more than okay. I had hard-working Punjabi parents who made sure my older siblings and I had what we needed to be our best. Food on the table. Nose in the books. Markers for what fostered success. But everything changed in a blink of an eye.
My mom died unexpectedly at the end of my senior year before I accepted going to UCLA. I was broken and unsure if moving to a big city was the answer, but I found the strength to do it anyway. When I reflect on what carried me through dark times, I think about this special paper and a teacher named Mr. Castle who impacted my life as a forward-thinker. Without either, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to recognize my gift as a storyteller and pivot from a legal career into filmmaking.
Writing for the Clarion was my foundation as a storyteller. Having my own column where I shared the peaks of senior year or the pitfalls of life, gave me freedom for creative expression. I was limitless with words (except for the word count, of course!), and those informative years at Selma High really shaped me. It’s why I believe there’s weight in each of our voices if we dare to recognize it; power in how we walk through world and the lens through which we inhabit our environments. You can break limiting beliefs and cultural stigmas if you choose. You can become who you want to be and embrace who you are. It won’t be an easy feat, but if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. That’s been the story of my life.
So, the next time you look in the mirror, think about what you want. Ideas you may not say out loud to other people because they feel “too big” or people doubt them. Look in the mirror and envision the future. Manifest it. Tell yourself “I got this,” because you do. The sooner you own your voice, the louder you wear your dreams and embrace the nuances that make you different as your superpowers, you will realize you are UNSTOPPABLE.

Go get ‘em.
Rippin Sindher
Class of 2006

Rippin Sindher is a Punjabi-American storyteller who grew up in Selma, California. Under her culture-forward banner, Sindherella Co., Rippin directed award-winning films: “Broken Drawer,” “The Hideout” and “SEVA” which earned special Congressional recognition. In 2019, Rippin was the first directing fellow on the Netflix show,“Ratched,” for the Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative. Previously, she managed programming for the Directors Guild of America and served as a senior creative director on numerous global campaigns for commercial clients including Amazon, Nike, Thermo Fisher Scientific and more. An advocate for social justice, Rippin founded KAUR Creative and earned the UCLA Women Leaders Award for Service. www.sindherella.com | @sindherella_co