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This Old Town
By Richard DeSorgher
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
This past week US News and World Report came out with their listing of the best high schools in American, in which they named Medfield High School as the 4th best school in Massachusetts and the 152nd best in the nation. For many years now, through test scores, college acceptance rates, etc., Medfield High School has ranked as one of the best schools in the state and in the nation. Students graduating from MHS have succeeded well on the college level and have begun to have a positive impact on our society in so many different ways.
This week another MHS alum will be graduating from college, this time from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His story and that of his family is a great example of living the American dream. His name is Kabir Thatte. He is an outstanding student and human being; his story is one where he credits his success to family members who came before him. He has not disappointed them and the chapters of success that lie ahead in the book of his future are just now being written, and will continue to be written for many years to come.
Kabir says that “not many people know this, but my grandfather Sadashiv was a Fellow in the Chemistry Department at UMass in the 1960s. My father and his family, during my grandfather’s tenure, lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Amherst. My father went ice skating on the campus pond and attended elementary school there. After my grandfather died, with my father just 14 years old, they returned to India. He dreamed of returning to America.
After meeting my mother, he immigrated to the United States with only one suitcase, one sitar, and five dollars in his pocket. He lived for several months in an unheated attic in Minnesota, living off of beans until he could afford to bring my mother here. He attended the University of Minnesota for his PhD, which he completed in four years, all while raising his first son (my brother Hameer), and working a newspaper route in the mornings to afford to put food on the table and have a shelter above their heads. After a few years at Stanford, where my sister Tej Mahal was born, he returned to Massachusetts to work in Boston, and eventually at Harvard, giving much of his career in service to the American public through his groundbreaking research at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. His work could have prevented the very affliction that took my grandfather’s life.
His three children all eventually attended UMass Amherst. My brother graduated in 2005, my sister in 2009. I will be graduating on May 6. I am extremely proud to be the son of my parents - two immigrants of color who went through some of the most insane situations to get to where they are today. They made countless sacrifices to ensure that I had a home to live in, food to eat, a comfortable lifestyle, a superior college education, and all the love that a family can give.
My success at UMass mainly has been a testament to the clear successes of my parents. They gave me everything I could have ever wanted. I love them with all my heart. They have had three extremely successful children - my brother, a ten-year Captain in the United States Air Force and future medical doctor, wanting to save people’s lives; my sister - an ardent public defender and protector of people’s rights, as well as phenomenal artist; and myself, soon to be a college graduate, with an idealistic view of the world, hungry for it to change. They had three children who want to help make the world a better place, much like their contributions did, and following their spirits of selflessness and love.
So yes - I’m proud to be graduating. I’m proud to be my parents’ son. I’m proud that I can take everything they’ve given me and devote my life to a career of public service. I want to use the skills that they have directly and indirectly given me to ensure that more people have the opportunities that I have received - a shelter, food, an education, and love. I want to extend the economic opportunities that were previously denied to my parents and make them available for others.
I go forward with them in mind. Thank you, mom and dad, for everything.”
When Kabir was at UMass, he received an internship at the US Department of the Treasury. He said, “One of the coolest parts of my internship down at the US Department of the Treasury was actually attending a reception at the White House held for President Hollande of France. I got to hear President Obama speak. I got to hear President Hollande speak. And I got to shake both their hands. It was amazing, inspirational, and gave me a huge drive to continue my goal to work in public service.
I’ve met some of the most driven, hardworking, honorable people at this school who I know are going to be huge change agents for the country. They’re going to be huge parts of the world. My name is Kabir Thatte, Class of 2016. I stand for positive and sustainable change. And I stand for UMass.”
He also, like so many others from this little community, stands as a proud product of Medfield High School and a proud product of the Town of Medfield- Congratulations Kabir!
