The Aporia · I sweated over getting 'A's: Indian-origin founder recounts struggle for 'brown kids' in US, says he cried when he got his first 89

I sweated over getting 'A's: Indian-origin founder recounts struggle for 'brown kids' in US, says he cried when he got his first 89

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Ghosh, P. (2026, September 17). I sweated over getting 'A's: Indian-origin founder recounts struggle for 'brown kids' in US, says he cried when he got his first 89. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/i-sweated-over-getting-as-indian-origin-founder-recounts-struggle-for-brown-kids-in-us-says-he-cried-when-he-got-his-first-89/articleshow/134312616.cms

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Quick Summary

Vedant Nair, an Indian-origin tech founder and University of Texas alum, discusses his experiences growing up as a "brown kid" in Texas amidst racial tensions over UT's student demographics. He recounts the intense academic pressure to achieve top grades from early education through high school, sharing personal anecdotes like breaking down after receiving an 89 on a report card. Nair emphasizes that students of color admitted to UT are American citizens who earned their places through rigorous competition and hard work, contributing positively to Texas's economy and national standing.

Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Vedant Nair, an Indian-origin tech founder and alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin, recounted his experience growing up as a "brown kid" in Texas amid recent controversy over the university's student demographics. The debate began when Republican Bo French posted photos of South Asian students cheering at a football game, questioning why so many non-Whites are admitted to UT Austin. Nair highlighted that Texas law mandates 90% of UT’s freshman class to consist of in-state residents, with 75% automatically granted admission based on class rank. He shared personal struggles from his early years, such as studying ahead during summers and obsessing over grades since elementary school. For example, he once walked to his parents' room crying after receiving a grade lower than an A, specifically mentioning a grade of 89 that deeply affected him. Nair emphasized the intense competition he faced due to stringent academic requirements.

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1 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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59/100

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Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)

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Topics

American Indian Republican Texas the University of Texas, Austin

Subjects

Nair PERSON · 5× American NORP · 3× Texas GPE · 3× Indian NORP · 2× Bo French PERSON · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Vedant Nair PERSON · 1× non-Whites NORP · 1× south Asian NORP · 1× the University of Texas, Austin ORG · 1×

Narrative

Amid the row over the ethnicity of the students of the University of Texas, Austin, Indian-origin tech founder and an alumnus of the university, Vedant Nair, shared his experience of growing up in Texas and his struggle as a 'brown kid' to stay a step ahead because of the steep competition.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17

🔮 You should be proud of them too," he said, adding that the racism could be slightly more intelligent.

2026-09-17 · Times of India

I sweated over getting 'A's: Indian-origin founder recounts struggle for 'brown kids' in US, says he cried when he got his first 89 · assertive framing

Claims (22 extracted, 1 hedged)

founder → share → competition

The controversy started after Bo French, a Republican, shared the photo of south Asian students cheering at a football game and asked why so many non-Whites are admitted to the university. asserted

Whites → start → university

Two students, both of Indian origin, spoke out after they found their cheering faces all over the Internet but for racist attacks. asserted

they → speak → attacks

It turned out that both of them are US citizens. asserted

both → turn → them

Nair said Texas law requires 90% of UT's freshman class to be Texas residents. asserted

law → say → class

75% of those in-state seats go to automatic admission on class rank -- and so the question of outsiders getting admission to UT does not even arise. asserted

outsiders → go → UT

Nair, the co-founder of Miru Robotics, shared how his race started in kindergarten. asserted

race → share → kindergarten

"Every summer, before the school year started, I had to finish the upcoming year's math textbook." asserted

I → start → textbook

"I sweated over getting As, even in elementary school. asserted

I → sweat → school

One funny memory is walking to my parents' room, crying, to report my first-ever 89 on a report card." asserted

memory → walk → card

"I went to math and science competitions, where I always lost, and came home crying again," he said. asserted

he → go → competitions

Nair clarified that he was not an odd killjoy and he was not even in the top 10% of his class, the competition was that tough. asserted

competition → clarify → class

"Actually, a lot of the kids worked much harder. asserted

lot → work → kids

I know people who took extra classes (zero period) just to boost their GPA. asserted

who → know → GPA

Who routinely slept 5 hours a night to nail every assignment they had after band practice. asserted

they → sleep → practice

Who were distraught when they got a 98 instead of a 100. asserted

they → get → 98

People who stopped doing things they loved, like sports or arts, because those classes dragged down their GPA," Nair explained. asserted

Nair → stop → GPA

Nair said the non-White kids in the UT photo are very much American kids who earned their way into the school in the most American way possible. asserted

who → say → way

"Kids like this have helped improve UT’s standing on the national stage. asserted

Kids → help → stage

They made it out of the pressure cooker and placed well in Finance, Big Tech, and more recently, startups. asserted

They → make → Finance

They meaningfully contribute to the economies of our state and country. asserted

They → contribute → state

You should be proud of them too," he said, adding that the racism could be slightly more intelligent. uncertain

racism → say → them