All Alumni
Raised in a small village, I did not have ideas about different professions one can choose for their future. We had only heard of doctors and engineers. When asked about our ambitions, we would say either of these two. At one point in my life, I often used to get anxious about my future. I had wanted to pursue psychology, law, and many other career paths. I wanted to work in different companies and organizations. I wanted to travel the world. But the feeling of not getting to do all the things I wanted troubled me. I later realized that instead of worrying about my future, I should rather focus on my present. I began to think about taking one step at a time and started enjoying every step. This experience helped me in appreciating the present moment. Being an introvert, I loved to observe but always wanted to avoid trouble. One of my closest school friends was constantly bullied but never fought back. Once things got out of control, I stood up for him against the bullies and the…
Born in Dhading, I was sent to a boarding school which was a privilege for me being a girl child. I came to Kathmandu from Dhading when I was in Grade 2 after my school got closed down for some political reasons. I got admitted in Grade 3 in Lalitpur Secondary Boarding School. I felt challenges especially in English language but credits go to my school and teachers who used diverse means of teaching that helped me improve significantly. Growing up, I saw my father getting involved in social works and always emphasizing on helping people. Later, he and my uncle started two schools for Chepang children in a remote area of Dhading with the help of international donors. I used to visit the schools and came to learn that the children were not able to attend the school regularly due to poor economic status and the distance they had to travel for school. I also noticed that the teaching system was not effective and lack of parent awareness was the main obstacle for education. I could see …
I was born in a joint Muslim family in Maitidevi, Kathmandu where my grandfather was well respected and looked up by our relatives and neighbours. I feel honoured that my core beliefs and values are teachings of his. My mom and dad inspired me to join Teach For Nepal. Recently my dad crossed 60 and he suffered paralysis a year ago, but every day he puts so much dedication towards our family and his efforts to do an exercise by self to overcome his illnesses is commendable . And my mom who recently had a heart surgery has always inspired me to be a fighter. As a Teach For Nepal Fellow, I want to do the same as my parents. I want to be dedicated towards my students and provide them with every opportunity possible and fight every day so that they have a successful life. In my Fellowship, I want to be open to learning new skills and implement my learning among my students and the community. I want to use my radio jockey, vlogging, writing skills and my learnings of Islam to teach my st…
Even though I come from a family with limited financial means, I completed engineering. My family has always motivated me, believed in me, and pushed me towards pursuing my dreams but convincing my father to allow me to join Teach For Nepal fellowship was quite difficult. After being a part of the Teach For Nepal family I am now able to see things differently in terms of the sense of possibility and sense of urgency. I feel like anything is possible if you have faith in the possibilities. Along with these feelings, I want to do something for my country, whether small or big, because I want to do my part in any way possible. Meanwhile, I want every child to understand how important it is to be an educated person for the dreams and goals in life to be fulfilled. I’m accepting this fellowship because I simply want to be a part of a change, a change that can make some difference in the education system in Nepal.
My family roots belong to Solukhumbu but to ensure good education for me, my family migrated to Biratnagar. I have changed many schools and have gained many different kinds of experiences. I felt that I was always an average but a hardworking student. My hard work resulted into a scholarship to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in India. When I learnt about Teach For Nepal, my life took a u-turn. I decided to pursue the fellowship in order to explore my potential. I know that the fellowship comes with many challenges; I have a responsibility to change the fate of the children who are deprived of education. My long-term goal is to run a social project for the children in Solukhumbu who are still struggling to meet their basic requirements. Teach For Nepal is an opportunity of a lifetime to explore my potential and develop myself into a confident change maker.
Although we struggled financially, my father worked very hard to make sure that my sister and I could attend a private school. My parents always wanted to give their children the best in everything and so I was able to go on to do a bachelor in social work. During my studies I worked with different organisations, one was Heartbeat-Nepal. I worked there in close quarters with children from disadvantaged communities. There was a girl named Sonika who studied at a public school in fifth grade and she was failing in three subjects in her terminal exams. I was shocked that her level of education was so miserable at such an early stage. It was my first glimpse of the condition of government schools in our country. I decided I wanted to contribute to uplifting the standard of government schools but did not know how. After completing my degree I came across an advertisement for Teach For Nepal and immediately applied. It was the best opportunity that I could get to fulfill my dream of bring…
I love teaching. This is my passion. And Teach For Nepal was a perfect match for me. Here, it’s not just about teaching, it’s also about transforming the lives of children and changing the society. I was fortunate to be supported by my parents, friends and other loved ones making my journey towards this fellowship relatively easier. I want the schools, community and most importantly the children to be free from injustice. I want all children to attain quality education without any discrimination. During the next two years, I’ll try to create hope and love for learning among the children. I’ll inspire them to dream of having a better future than that they’ve now.
After returning from Bangalore, I joined the Nepal Investment Bank as an intern. There, I realized that the work was monotonous and part of the corporate ‘hustle and bustle’, and my interest in the banking sector started to dwindle. I also worked a year at a private school but soon realized I wanted something new, something more challenging. Attending the info session presentation by Swastika Didi made me contemplate my life. Questions like ‘what if I dedicate two years for the betterment of the education sector in my country?’ led me to apply for the fellowship and my mother supported me after making this huge decision. I know that my journey towards ending educational inequity will not be easy. Nevertheless, I have prepared myself with my mantra, ‘go with the flow’. The new environment, the fear of rejection from the students, and being in the community scares me, but I am determined to face these challenges. I am quite sure that after these two years I will be a better per…
During my social work studies, we went to visit a school in a village. At one school we came to know that a girl studying in class 7 had a baby and her mother in law would bring the baby to the school so that the girl could breastfeed. We were completely shocked. That incident made me understand that living in Kathmandu and seeing villages on TV will take a social worker nowhere in life. In order to comprehend the real situation of my country I had to visit places and interact with people, learn about their life, live their life, eat their food, do their daily chores and activities. From then on, I always seriously wanted to first work on the grassroot level before being able to make decisions for them. When I graduated there were many vacancies open but when I heard about Teach for Nepal, I thought that is the one for me. I could reach to so many people’s lives through TFN. I also believe that I will learn very much from the challenges I will face. I do not believe I can gain satis…
Some years ago I started to think about what sets me apart from less fortunate members of society. I realised what it is: I was allowed to make my own decisions and move forward with my own power. And all of this was possible because my parents knew the importance of education and I was provided with good knowledge. In class eight, I got scolded by my parents because I nearly failed my maths exams. I had lost interest in studying for maths. But my teacher never gave up on me. He gave up his free time to teach me and taught me as a friend. He inspired me to study and I started to do well in maths That was when I realised that a teacher can change a student’s life. That was when I decided, someday I will do something like this. I do not believe that anyone in the world is born with weakness. I do not believe that luck is the main factor of a good life. I believe that education is the strongest weapon in bringing about positive change within ourselves and our nation. I believe that…
