Esther Anil Instagram – A couple of years back, I was on a train when my dad called me to say he had met someone whose daughter was going to the London School of Economics. He said it would be great if I could connect with her, maybe someday I could look at applying there too.
I told him, honestly, are you kidding me? That was way too big a fish for us to catch. I didn’t even dream of going there back then. I didn’t say it out loud, but in my head I thought lol, my dad is a fool with such unrealistic dreams.
Cut to today, here I am, his daughter, standing in front of the London School of Economics, graduated in International Development.
There is so much magic in life.
To my parents, whom I didn’t even tell I got into LSE at first, because I knew they wouldn’t be able to afford it. Both my brothers were already on student loans. I didn’t have that kind of money either. No matter what grants or help you get, it still felt like an expensive decision.
All they said was, We know how much you want this. Money will come. You are going.
My parents have flaws, and I do call them out from time to time. But what I can never ignore is how deeply they show up for their children. They will go to any extent for us. Sometimes it’s scary. But as children, as human beings, that’s what you want, parents who stand by you even if hell breaks loose.
Thank you, Appa and Amma.
Thank you for teaching me to dream, and to chase those dreams.
Thank you for loving me the way you do.
Last week, in a media interview, I said,
“I got into the world’s best university only to feel like the biggest failure.”
Getting in was not the hardest part after-all. Competing with some of the best minds in the world, and with yourself, your imposter syndrome, was.
I’m glad I made it. Certainly not alone.
LSE challenged me in ways I never imagined. Understanding the causes of things, as they call it, has become a way of life, learning to look at everything from multiple dimensions. It made me turn deeper into something I’ve been passionate about for years, women and power.
[Continued in the comments below] | Posted on 17/Dec/2025 16:31:13
