Not all kids are lucky enough to have parents like mine, who had a clear understanding of providing education to all of their daughters. I applied for Teach For Nepal Fellowship because of my dream to provide equal opportunity to the students of rural villages aligned with Teach For Nepal’s vision. After the placement, when I came to Bahundada, Lamjung, which has a maximum population of Brahmin community, I realized that the people here had a fixed mindset that only the students of one particular community can excel in creative ideas and focused on studies. Eventually, the increase in the involvement of the students from every community in innovation and creation broke the prejudice of the people. 

There’s mounting evidence that deeper interest in anything has the power to unlock extraordinary creative talents. For the past eighteen months of my Fellowship, I have noticed, that the students’ interest in creative activities has certainly increased and it is ultimately helping them to learn more. After the installation of the science lab in the school, I could sense their willingness to learn has increased, when students started coming up with prototypes of various mechanical objects that could only be designed with science. 

One of my students, Anish Tiwari who is just 14 years of age, was amazed to see a drone flying over his head and capturing pictures for the very first time. He saw it when one of TFN supporters and a media personality flew it in our school during his One Day In A Classroom visit. Anish was excited and shocked to see such a small object doing multiple things that he could have never imagined, which increased his interest. He was curious about its operation and designing. This interest of his inspired him to research about it. 

He started searching about drones and quadcopters in the internet and books. He constantly looked for answers to questions to whomever he felt would know about it. One day he suddenly came to me with a prototype of a drone which surprised me a lot. He further explained that he made it in collaboration with his classmate Bishal Gurung. He proved that our interest and continuous effort will eventually lead us to some of our burgeoning questions. That kid who had no idea about the drone can now explain the technical parts and functions of the drone. His curiosity and effort led him to go out of his comfort zone and think out of the box. His energy and effort have increased his friend’s interest in experimentation and designing. 

The biggest highlights of my Fellowship journey have been maintaining relationships with students from these numerous communities, connecting youth with science and becoming part of a nationwide educational network that feels like family. I have always believed that motivation and inspiration are important to move forward in life. My belief was brought to reality when I saw that anyone and anything can inspire and motivate my students and even small things can touch and drive our interest. Today I believe, these young minds will be the possible role model in their community about their future not being determined by the socio-economic or religious status of their families. Education indeed is a key factor that can change the whole world. My small contribution thus is to building the right environment to inspire creativity in my community.

Smiriti Aryal completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Miranda College of Nursing, India and is currently teaching Science in Bahundada, Lamjung. Like Smriti, Teach For Nepal Fellows are creating impacts through various initiatives to promote science in rural villages.