My background...

I graduated from Mount Carmel College in Bangalore and completed my post-graduate degree in international studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. At JNU, I was in an environment where the students had idealistic ambitions and revolutionary ideas for changing the world by eliminating disparities and ensuring equality. This experience had a lasting impression on me. Subsequently, I moved to Bangalore and started my career at a college, teaching pre-university and undergraduate students. Although it was a good experience, it was not satisfying. The large class sizes, at times up to 200 students, made it challenging for me to teach an interactive class. Soon after, I got an opportunity to join an international school with small class sizes, a progressive curriculum, and an interactive, inquiry-based teaching methodology. Although, initially, it was challenging for me to adjust my teaching style to teach students in grades 6 through 12, I got comfortable with it soon enough and never looked back. I was able to pay attention to each student, cater to their individual learning needs, and help them achieve their potential. Thereafter, I rose in the leadership ranks to become a class teacher, HOD for social sciences, academic coordinator, deputy principal, principal and, eventually, academic director.

Having gained many years of experience teaching in elite schools, I decided it was time for me to give back to society. By providence I came across Hippocampus Learning Centers. HLC’s mission aligned with my desire to give back - to provide access to quality, international-level education to children from rural areas and underserved communities. Bringing international pedagogy to children from rural areas, while operating on shoe-string budgets is both interesting and challenging. The children dream big, are willing to learn, take in all opportunities with open minds. This makes it all worth it and I wish I could do more for them.

My Aikyam experience...

When Aikyam was refered to me. I felt the program absolutely filled the need of the hour for these children. Elite schools offer their students opportunities to learn the skills that Aikyam teaches. But children in rural schools are not exposed to it. It was somewhat overwhelming for the teachers and the children in the beginning. However, once they got into the activities, the results they produced are impressive. The children have learned a lot and, at their level, have done wonderful projects. When the other schools see the work of the schools that participated this year, they will want to do it as well. I believe that offering this program in all HLC schools, even at a rudimentary level, would be interesting and rewarding.