Shachi Kaushik’s Page

13 Austin South Asian | October 2022 Weaving Stories Drawn From Immigrant Experience

By Shachi Kaushik

Shachi Kaushik migrated to North America about a decade ago, but her journey of selfdiscovery and writing stories has just started. Shachi is the author of the book, Diwali In My New Home, illustrated by Aishwarya Tandon. This is a lovely picture book about finding hope and happiness in new places.

Follow the story of Priya, a young girl celebrating Diwali away from India for the first time. As she shares her culture and traditions with her neighborhood, she finds new ways to celebrate old traditions with her family and friends. Even in a different country, Priya learns how to stay true to her roots. Learn more about the amazing festival of lights For over a few years she has been an active community member and volunteered at the Round Rock Public Library, where she hosted bi-lingual story time.

The Diwali event for children at the library, over the years, became popular within the community, receiving a significant response from parents. The joy brought to children’s faces during the Diwali event gave Shachi her book idea of sharing the joy celebrating the festival of lights with those unfamiliar with the holiday.

As Shachi continues to devote her time to celebrate Diwali with community, join Shachi at the Austin Public library on October 23rd at 12:00 PM, Round Rock Public Library on October 24th at 10:30 AM, Book People at 10:30 AM and Spicewood Springs Branch on October 27th at 6:00 PM.

How Mentoring Can Help Women-Led Businesses Thrive

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Women entrepreneurs also pay themselves less than men and often take the brunt of balancing their family’s needs while growing their business.

In spite of these challenges, women-led businesses of all types are thriving across the United States, thanks in part to initiatives offering tactical support and networking opportunities.

Take it from Racquel Garcia, whose substance abuse recovery and life coaching business HardBeauty had substantial outside funding but needed guidance in becoming an efficient and sustainable operation.

She applied to join the Milestone Circles program offered by the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and funded by Wells Fargo Foundation.

As part of Wells Fargo’s Connect to More program, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center places women entrepreneurs from across the country into “circles” that receive virtual and in-person peer and professional coaching over 12 weeks, plus the support of a growing network of fellow business leaders.

As of June 2022, the program has graduated more than 540 entrepreneurs in 47 states, with an aim of graduating another 1,000 women over the next 12 months.

Built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the goal is to create space for women to step away from business pressures, identify goals and and beautiful Indian culture in this touching story for both children and adults alike.

Joyful and heart-warming, Diwali In My New Home is sure to be a favorite for all ages. It is full of vibrant colors and skillful illustrations that will have you captivated by every page. It is the perfect choice for beginner readers and especially for immigrant children who are missing home.

This story will give hope that culture and traditions live on no matter where you are and that the people around you are what make every day so special. Change can be a good thing, and this picture book will teach children to be proud of their culture and to celebrate who they are.

Shachi, while writing this book, reflected on moments from her personal immigrant experience.

support each other’s growth.

With the assistance of her program “sisters,” Garcia built two rev-

enue streams that were less grantdependent, growing her income by $200,000 in 12 weeks. But the impact of this support went beyond the business.

For Garcia, who is one of the only women of color in her small Colorado town, the program was a rare opportunity to share her dreams with other women she would not have crossed paths with otherwise.

“Many women entrepreneurs suffer from imposter syndrome. This confidence gap and the systemic financial barriers and pressures faced by women entrepreneurs are just some of the reasons I saw a need for this program,” says Jenny Flores, head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy at Wells Fargo.

For Terriekka Cardenas, a sixth grade teacher, engineer and owner of Perceptive Engineering, having this support is what helped her embrace the title of CEO. “That was the first moment for me that I didn’t box myself in,” she says.

Others, such as Ruby Taylor, who graduated from the first Milestone Circle in 2021, haven’t stopped meeting with their peers after the initial 12 weeks.

In 2020, Taylor created a card game, LEGACY!, to teach people how to close the racial wealth gap and have fun doing it.

Being able to craft a mission statement while enrolled inspired her to amplify her vision and found Financial Joy School, which coaches Black families on building generational wealth.

“My circle is a tight-knit group that continuously supports each other when we get stuck. We’re just a telephone call away when we feel discouraged,” she said.

While founding and growing a business comes with risks, support from peers and mentors can make all the difference, say program organizers.

“When you’re able to show up authentically and say what you need help with -- the real things, the hard things -- and people can come around and provide support in an environment free of competition or judgment, that’s really gamechanging,” says Flores. (StatePoint)

14 Austin South Asian | October 2022 Simplify Security This Back-To-School Season

The beginning of a new school year offers plenty of excitement each fall, but it can also be a stressful time for parents and students alike. As expensive electronics like laptops and tablets become increasingly common for student use in classrooms and at home and complex schedules require students to bike to school or enter the house after school with minimal parental supervision, it can often be challenging for families to juggle the changes that back-to-school season brings.

To help alleviate back-to-school stress and safeguard high-value purchases, Master Lock, the leading name in security for more than 100 years, offers a variety of solutions to provide peace of mind for both parents and students – whether enrolling in elementary school or heading off to college.

For everything from padlocks for school lockers to bike locks for students on the go and personal safes for dorm room storage, parents and students can visit MasterLock.com to explore back-toschool security products designed to safeguard everything worth protecting.

Secure Lockers with Ease

As one of the most known and widely used padlocks for back-toschool season, the Master Lock 1500D Combination Dial Padlock offers a reliable, keyless solution to help protect students’ personal belongings while in the hallway or locker room.

With a shackle made of hardened steel and a locking mechanism with anti-shim technology, this padlock provides maximum security with extra resistance against cutting and sawing.

Plus, the easy-to-use dial and threedigit combination allow for quick and convenient access between classes when time is tight.

Safeguard Your Bike or Scooter

Whether heading to school or commuting to campus, the Master Lock 8143D Combination Cable Bike Lock offers on-the-go security for students of all ages, especially those who may not be able to drive yet or simply prefer to ride a bike or scooter.

Made with braided steel for flexibility, a protective vinyl coating for added weatherability and a preset four-digit combination for keyless convenience, this bike lock also features a self-coiling design for easy use and compact storage in a locker or backpack.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (Family Features)

A Homemade Crunchy Mushroom Wrap to Save Your Grocery Budget

If the prices of your favorite ingredients have you dreading the next trip to the grocery store, finding ways to stretch your budget can help you feel better at the checkout counter.

One such way: turning to versatile ingredients that help make every dollar count by using them in a variety of your family’s favorite meals.

Flavorful options like mushrooms enhance recipes by extending portions when you use a process called “The Blend.” Blending finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat allows you to extend the volume of dishes like burgers, tacos, pasta, wraps and more.

Simply chop your desired mushroom variety to match the consistency of ground meat, blend the chopped mushrooms and meat together then cook your blend to complete the recipe.

This Blended Crunchy Mushroom Wrap is a perfect example of an easy yet delicious way to take your grocery budget further. more blended recipe ideas.

Blended Crunchy Mushroom Wraps Recipe courtesy of the Mushroom 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion 8 ounces mushrooms, such as white button, crimini or portabella, finely chopped 1/3 cup nacho cheese sauce 6 tostada shells sour cream 6 mini soft taco-size flour tortillas (about 4 1/2 inches each) shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes shredded Mexican cheese blend nonstick cooking spray

In large skil let over mediumhigh heat, heat olive oil.

Cook onions 1-2 minutes until translucent. Add mush -

Council Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 6 1/2 pound lean ground beef 1 tablespoon taco seasoning 6 burrito-size flour tortillas (about 10 inches each) rooms and ground beef. seasoning. Cook 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Lay one large flour tortilla on flat surface. Spread 2 tablespoons mushroom-meat mixture on center of tortilla.

Drizzle dollop of nacho cheese over mushroom-meat mixture. Top meat with one tostada shell then spread thin layer of sour cream over tostada shell.

Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and shredded Mexican cheese then one small tortilla. Make sure not to overstuff so wrap doesn’t break apart while cooking.

Fold edges of large tortilla toward center until completely covered.

In hot skillet, generously spray with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully place wrap seam side down on skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Flip and cook other side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining mushroom-meat mixture, tortillas and toppings. Cut wraps half and serve. (Family Features)