Teach For Nepal has been my destiny. Coming across this fellowship, I immediately applied for it. I am really excited to go to a school as a teacher and help hundreds of students’ pursue their dreams. I changed nine schools in my life from primary to higher secondary, and even between public and private schools. This has made me realize the importance of the learning environment and having great teachers. I found it much harder to study and receive an education in public schools. This experience made me contemplate a lot. Why is there such education disparity in my country? Why couldn’t I study in public schools properly? This is why I call Teach For Nepal my destiny, because I am not only seeking answers to my questions but I am also trying to provide a quality education to public school students.

Though I attended one of the most renowned schools in town, the system of education was not prioritized for the needs of individual students. Despite having good infrastructure and opportunities in extracurricular activities, the teaching was still theory based rather than practical. I learned about Teach For Nepal in a college info session at Thames International College. As a Social Work student, I am aware of the challenges faced by the students of government schools. My participation at various workshops and volunteer teaching at schools have made me more interested in this field. This fellowship became the most appropriate platform to give students what I missed in school while also contributing to long-term education improvements. My parents became supportive and were happy when I was selected for this fellowship. Their optimism in the mission I have joined makes my commitment even stronger.

Being from a lower middle class family, I’ve struggled very hard to fulfill my dreams. My parents are illiterate and there are three children in our family. Due to poverty they couldn’t afford our education and basic necessities. So I worked throughout my life to attain education. I want every kid to get an excellent education and have better life opportunities. I know the standard and quality of education in many public schools of our country. I know the standards and teaching methodologies of many teachers in public schools in the remote regions. And I know how that the kids are the ones being cheated as a result of the education system. Having been a public school student, I believe that if I don’t take initiative to change the system then my struggle until now will be worthless. So when I got the chance to be a part of Teach For Nepal, I accepted the challenge that would allow me to fulfill my dream of being able to help all children in Nepal.

While studying for my Bachelors, I learned that many children are dying due to malnutrition in the Far-Western Development Region. When I worked as a Health Inspector in Bardiya, I saw things that were beyond my imagination. Therefore, I have dreamed of working in the field of nutrition while supporting and improving the lives of children under-five in that region. I was attracted to Teach For Nepal when I stumbled upon the advertisement that asked, “What if your first job was to change the nation?” It inspired me to learn more about this noble initiative to end education inequity in Nepal, and I couldn’t help joining this fellowship. Initially it was challenging but I finally convinced my parents to join this movement. Pursuing this fellowship means putting my dreams of my further education on hold. After contemplating a lot, I decided that I want to contribute my life to children at public schools so that they receive the best possible education.

After I returned from Mangalore with an MBA, expectations were that I would pursue a career in banking, much like my father. However, I chose to follow my passion for teaching since I plan to become a lecturer. I came across this fellowship and applied without the consent of my parents. I became completely attached to Teach For Nepal’s mission and values after learning more about the organization when I went through the tough selection process. My motivation comes from knowing that my two years of service will be changing lives, dreams, and educational quality in Nepal. I am going to be accountable for bringing a positive change in the lives of students who are deprived of the privileges that private school students get. Thus, I’m committed to the cause and I’ve convinced my parents to support me in this mission of transforming education in Nepal. For my future students, I hope to encourage them to dream and see that education is the key to their success, and I will invest all o…

Coming from a middle class family, it was my dream to become a successful and independent woman. Besides this, I didn’t have other dreams, but after joining Teach For Nepal, I have started dreaming again. My aim now is changing the lives of children who are deprived of quality education. I had no idea that I would want to be a Teach For Nepal fellow until I was moved by the words of Shisir Dai. His words motivated me to apply for the fellowship. My parents were hesitant about me changing the career path and becoming a teacher after they invested so much in me. But, I convinced them to join this wonderful movement. I know that the two years of fellowship will be an adventurous journey for me. However, I am excited about going to a new place and giving my all to achieve the best results for the students whom I will be teaching.

Since childhood, I wanted to study engineering in order to build things that would make life easier. I accomplished this by attending a good school. During the course of my study, I was interested in the organization “Engineers Without Borders” where engineers like me would travel around the world to rural communities and help build basic infrastructure. While studying in the US, I worked at different places earning minimum wage. I realized life is not a ‘bed of roses’ for people working in labor jobs. When I came across Teach for Nepal, I found graduates like me helping to eradicate education inequity in Nepal. This is the perfect platform to me since I would not only help children learn but also be in the community and participate in an exchange of teaching and learning. After the fellowship I plan on travelling throughout rural Nepal to help build basic infrastructure. It will also help me to build leadership skills and understand people’s lives.

Finding knowledge-based education in Nepal is hard. I have only found marks-based education until now. As a student I have felt the inequity of education in my country. Today, I gear up to try and solve this problem through this fellowship. I want my students to not just score well and pass, but to learn about life, and learn to change their community and country. After my decision to join this movement, my first challenge was to make my parents believe in my decision. They were very upset at the beginning but became more supportive after they attended the parents event organized by Teach For Nepal. It excites me that I am going to touch the lives of many children, as I will be trying to be a change-agent. I dream of becoming a successful scientist conducting research in cancer, and this fellowship will be the first step towards my long term dream. I believe these two years will be a transformative experience for me, just as it was for my predecessors.

Having lived a life full of hardship, I feel that I am prepared for anything in life. There were days when we bought half a kilogram of rice in credit and days when we waited for our relatives to give their old clothes to us. This made me responsible at an early age. I have taught tuition classes for more than six years and worked at quite a few places too. People treated us like we couldn’t do anything in life just because we were poor and a few of them tried to convince my parents that this fellowship was not right for me. I want to prove many of them wrong–that is the major reason why I joined this fellowship. To the children I will be teaching, I want to spread the message that, “nothing is a hurdle if you work hard.” I am excited to teach, but I’m also excited to learn things about the country as well. I believe that these two years will prepare me to face any challenge that may come in the future.

While I begin this journey to end educational inequity in Nepal as a Teach For Nepal Fellow, my teacher who taught me math for free comes to mind. This teacher installed a belief in me that one teacher can really make a difference. A thought arises in my mind: if he could change my life then I can try that too. I believe joining this fellowship is the continuation of the legacy of my teacher. This is the reason why I joined this fellowship. I believe that I can bring light to the environment of school and community. For my students I will be dedicating my heart and soul to provide them with an excellent education so they have all the opportunities in the world. It is said that experience is the best learning, so these two years should be the backbone to do things in life. Later in life, I aim to become a mathematician and as a fellow I am moving ahead in the pursuit of my dream.