Recently, an International PhD student submitted an application for a position I have open. Their pitch to me in their cover letter is "I don& #39;t have an accent". https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💔" title="Gebrochenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gebrochenes Herz">

Let& #39;s just end the assumption that having an accent = lack of skills or intelligence. K. Thnx.

@AcademicChatter

Having an accent when you speak is so beautiful. The way the words roll off the tongue carrying with it the rich history of who you are and where you come from. Mine? Centuries old south Indian language fused with English to make it uniquely me.

And yet.. I only recently stopped apologizing for my accent and started owning it- At spoken word events when speaking my truth. At workshops when teaching students, in podcasts as a guest advocating for postdocs. And my accent has only enhanced my story, not deterred it.