My background...

I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy. I joined Hippocampus School Rangapur a year ago as a lab assistant. I work with students from grades 4 through 10.  The lab is used for hands-on activities in general science, bioscience, chemistry, and physics.

About my school...

HSR is in a rural area called Rangapur in Telangana. It used to be NATCO High School, but now it is part of Hippocampus Learning Centers. It is a large school, with a large student population. Each grade level has multiple sections.

My interest outside of school...

My current job is a steppingstone for me. I intend to appear for group exams that will enable me to qualify as a pharmacist. I can then work in hospitals.

My inspiration and role model...

My mother is my inspiration and role model. She was married young before she could complete high school. She in fact needed to pass one subject (English) to complete. After marriage, she somehow managed to convince everyone to support her to reappear for the English exam again so she can complete high school. She took as 14-year break after finishing high school before she enrolled in pre-university and ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s in education B.Ed. Now she is a teacher in a school in the village where I grew up. Her grit and determination are a great source of inspiration for me.

My Aikyam experience...

We have two Aikyam teams in our school. I am the facilitator for one of the groups along with another teacher. We have 12 students from grades 5 through 8 in the team. Although the children were a little confused in the beginning and didn’t show much interest, once the ideation phase started, they became fully engaged. They individually identified societal problems they see in their own households and neighborhoods. Then, they discussed and debated as a team and finally voted on the one they all wanted to address – lack of healthcare facilities in the village. Through this exercise they have learnt how to work as a team and the importance of appreciating points of view other than their own. The families and the village elders that they spoke to were impressed with the children’s ideas. They started questioning why they themselves didn’t think of it! As a facilitator, I am learning just watching and listening to the children.

In the beginning they were not too curious about what comes next in the program. But now they can’t wait for the next Aikyam session.