What's in a Name?

Priya Rayapati

Priya Rayapati- Indian-American (Bengali ancestry); Priya Rayapati is a curious girl who is attentive to detail, often preparing herself and planning ahead for her future ventures, including acceptance into a good college. Often seen as an academic superstar, she is smart and circumspect, but very analytical and has a well-developed memory, having a good recall for trivia and factoids. She is described as having a bright future and is often pressured to succeed and perform to the best of her ability by her well-meaning, but demanding parents. She is seen as honest, wholesome, and reliable with her "always-down-to-help" attitude, yet is usually in a constant state of panic, as she is asthmatic and allergic to many things, as well as resistant to change. Priya is portrayed as the "geek" among her group of friends and is very knowledgeable on a wide array of subjects, yet tends to be rather gullible and believe anything someone tells her. She can likewise be incredibly childish due to the effects of having absentee parents who were not there to help her through the various stages of adolescence, leaving her ill-prepared for high school. Sometimes reserved and a bit oblivious, she rarely stayed in one place for long due to her parent's lifestyle as travel consultants and resultantly felt very lonely due to her inability to find a consistent friend group. Her parents tended to be strict and often forbade her from participating in common childhood activities, most notably eating donuts among other sugary, fatty foods. Priya was befriended by Mia Vasquez-Rivera, whom empathized with her due to her similar struggles as the "new kid" at school with her family's military background. Despite her obedience to her parents, whom often encouraged her to dress up and focus on her studies, she found herself in trouble at age 3 once. 

She had accidentally blurted out an obscenity in church after being denied a cookie, causing her mother to skip service and head straight to breakfast. Her newly established friendships have given her more courage however, leading her to more frequently stand up to her mother about her strict upbringing and rules as an adolescent. Priya initially conforms to the peer-pressure of shaving her legs, but regrets it when she reflects on how she did it for the wrong reasons. A sophomore at the high school, she is confident and proud of who she is but generally comes across as relatively offbeat during her interactions with her peers. She appeared standoffish when in groups as a kid and tended to become consumed by the complex workings of her own mind, which others have joked makes her appear to have a spacey, detached stare whenever she is deep in thought. She tends to become rather upset whenever someone is better than her at something she naturally excels at, hinting that she has a bit of a superiority complex. Growing up over the following the years, Priya came to truly understand compassion and love, forming a closer bond with Mia and showing more forwardness in such acts as asking boys on a date and holding his hand affectionately. She tends to be highly imaginative and has a habit of escaping into books, often becoming engrossed in fantasy novels and modern classics. She is especially fond of the Inkheart series, the Chronicles of Narnia, and The Hobbit, as well as anything written by Charles De Lint. She hopes to visit New Zealand someday and explore the land where her beloved film trilogy, The Hobbit, was filmed in both the North and South Islands. Priya is a naturally friendly, forthcoming person who can often be found reading or tapping away at her phone, although she tends to communicate better with her online friends than her real-life acquaintances. 

Her mother sees her as someone who is loving and always puts people's feelings above her own, having a deeper capacity for caring than most of her peers. She appreciates sitting alone in dusty corners or being surrounded by shadows, and will almost always try to escape any situation she finds intimidating. She is a daydreamer who loves the surreal and finds beauty in the bizarre and unusual, which makes her feel at home while immersing herself in the fantasy genre. Priya is good at sewing and likes to go create her own costumes to attend renaissance fairs during the summer, having a special interest in history. She also plays the trumpet for the school band and attends the Lutheran church with her parents every Sunday, although recent years have caused her family to go less frequently. Sometimes she wants to wear a t-shirt that says "Please, no hugs", as she needs physical and emotional space and struggles in chaotic, high-sensory, or physically crowded spaces. She has trouble thinking in the moment and can go into "panic mode" when things in her life grow unstable and scary, where she feels like she is dying and has trouble breathing. Big changes can be rather difficult for Priya, as she enjoys adhering to routine and a rigid schedule, often lacking spontaneity and finding it easier to know what to expect. She loves to play with her pet ferret named Cokie, which she keeps in her bedroom despite her father's suggestion that doing so is "unsanitary". She is depicted as a very nice and caring, yet melodramatic, young girl due to her friendly personality, yet tendency to get easily depressed. She is known for her love of technology, be it phone or video games, and is quite excitable, always on the lookout for things she thinks will trend.