I wanted to join Teach For Nepal after a bitter experience with of one of my teachers who always humiliated students and made fun of their dreams. For me joining Teach For Nepal is an opportunity to motivate and inspire students to dream whether it’s big or small. Today we evaluate a student based on grades they receive in an exam. All students have different abilities, thought processes, and experiences. So we should evaluate students through different means. A teacher’s primary job is to motivate students because if a teacher is able to motivate a student, almost 90% of the job is done. While attending Kathmandu University School of Management for my Bachelor’s in Business Administration, I found mathematics and science courses challenging. The school employed some of the best teachers who helped me overcome these hurdles. They were very supportive and friendly, they used various teaching techniques, and they utilized each and every resource and material available to them to m…

I have always believed that my purpose in life is to make people aware of the value of education and how it can lead to happiness and peace. I was born in an affluent family in a remote village named Sangrampur in Mahottari where people’s livelihood depends on traditional farming and remittance. I studied in a private boarding school since an early age, but later moved to a public school and passed School Leaving Certificate (SLC) at the age of 15. After my higher education in the field of science, I joined Bachelor’s in Business Administration and later pursued Master in International Relations at South Asian University. While looking for a platform where I can contribute to society and create intercultural awareness and joy of diversity, I met a Teach For India Fellow who is also a friend. She informed me about Teach For Nepal’s vision which inspired me to join the movement. I’ve always felt that the best way to end education inequality is to work through ground level and T…

The best memory from my childhood is of learning together with five of my best friends has been the best memories of my childhood. For me, English and maths were the grueling subjects but the support that my friends provided helped me in achieving success in my SLC. After higher education, I joined RR Multiple Campus in Janakpur for my Bachelors’ in Business Studies and later got a scholarship to study in the University of Dhaka for Masters Program. The transition from Nepali education to a foreign education system was difficult at first, but I took the challenge as an opportunity to learn about my own strength and barriers. Coming from a public school education background, I wanted to change the perception about public school. Teach For Nepal’s work in public school and how their Fellows are creating small changes in the community inspired me to join the movement. I believe my education and ethnic background would help me become a role-model to children in Dhanusa. During my…

I was born not far from Kathmandu, in a beautiful village of Lele, Lalitpur. I graduated from Jana Bhawana Campus with Bachelor’s in English and Sociology and am currently pursuing a masters degree. I am the first person in my family to receive higher education and they are very supportive in my quest because they are aware of the value of education. My father is a teacher, and as a child, when I listened to his stories about his school and classrooms, I always aspired to be like him. I even taught for three years but had to discontinue because I had to prioritize my master's degree. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to work with underprivileged communities to improve lives. After seeing statistics of students attending public schools in Nepal, I was determined to do something about the rural education and the people in communities. I found out about Teach For Nepal through a friend who sent me the application link. I always aspired to be a teacher and Teach For Nepal offered …

I always had a dream of doing something that would last a lifetime. I found that opportunity in Facebook when I saw Teach For Nepal’s announcement for Fellowship. Learning more about the movement, I found I would be advocating for education equality by teaching young minds of our country. Fellowship would also provide me with an opportunity to help lessen the pain and struggle of people in underprivileged communities. My quest to end education inequality isn’t something I want to do just because it’s something young people are enthusiast about in their hay days. I wanted to be part of it because I was myself a victim of an unequal education system and political instability. When I was in grade three, the Maoist insurgency was at its peak and I had to move from a private school that offered quality education to a public school. Fortunately, my education base I had developed in the private school, as well as the support of teachers in the public school, helped me achieve higher ranki…

My mother never got to attend school, not because she did not want to or had the potential to succeed but simply because she was born as a girl. My father has always been a motivator to me; he has always supported my education as well as decisions I have made in my life. Though my mother is uneducated, she knows the difference education makes in a person’s life. I have always excelled at school. I participated in intellectual events which helped me broaden my knowledge as well as earn respect. It also helped me study with scholarship which reduced the financial burden on my parents“To teach is to learn twice,” is the quote I read in my school day and to this day, I believe that one should share their knowledge and education to increase its value. After graduating from Kathmandu Model College as a topper in Graduate studies, I was surfing the net and came across a question, “What if your first job was to change the nation?” The question intrigued me, after talking to the organiza…

I was preparing for my Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to go abroad and pursue further studies when one of my close friends informed me about Teach For Nepal and its mission. He shared stories about the impacts that the Fellows were making which could be seen in the students in rural communities. My curiosity regarding the experience of Teach For Nepal’s Fellows and how they are becoming a changemaker in the communities led me to apply for Teach For Nepal’s Fellowship. I always wanted to be a part of a story that would change someone’s life. Up until now, I haven’t had the power or an opportunity to change a story. During my Fellowship, I want to use my degree from Kathmandu University in Applied Physics and my literary interests to help students become critical thinkers. I want to unshackle our future generations from harmful traditional practices by helping our future generation by connecting science to their thinking process in everyday lives. After Fellowship, I want to…

I was born in a scenic town of Kohima, in the state of Nagaland India. Though the town itself was beautiful, my childhood was not. My father passed away when I was two years old and my mother had to work hard as a janitor to support me and my sister. She always made sure we got what we wanted even if that meant her wearing the same sets of clothes for many years. Despite not coming from a privileged family, I was able to complete my Bachelors from St. Anthony’s College, Shillong and Masters in Business Administration from Department of Management under School of Economics, Management and Information Systems, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India. During my student life, I faced many challenges in school. I suffered from Arithmophobia and was always bullied by other students. But my teachers were understanding and supportive and helped me overcome my fear of numbers and adjust to the new environment every time I changed schools. I had previously looked into applyi…

As I sat on the airplane seat and looked out the window, I thought about all those days when I endlessly tried to convince my family about the concept of a liberal arts college and going to Knox College in the US. I recalled that terrifying moment when I broke my parent’s dream of seeing me as an engineer. I had initially studied science in my intermediate level to be an engineer, only to realize that I didn’t want to be an engineer. I also remembered how as the eldest granddaughter who grew up in a patriarchal joint family. I was constantly fighting with my grandmother in attempts to prove that it was enough to be a girl. As I amassed all those memories, I saw how far I had come. I was a young girl traveling alone to a foreign land in search for my independence. As days passed by, I was learning and thriving in my new college environment in the U.S. However, I struggled with the guilt of not getting to spend time with my sick father. But my parents valued my education more than an…

I graduated with the ‘Best Graduating Student Award’ from Ace Institute of Management with Business Administration – Banking and Insurance degree before deciding to join the Fellowship. Throughout four years of Bachelor’s degree, my teachers helped me gain confidence and provided me with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities and different programs. They provided platforms for me to conduct programs where I developed my leadership qualities. And for all those encouragement and support, I’ll be forever thankful to my teachers. While pursuing my degree, I worked as a Marketing Officer in a company in Nepal where I excelled but was never satisfied. Whenever I had time, I volunteered in various non-profit organizations in Nepal and that is when I met Shisir Khanal and Swastika Shrestha, co-founders of Teach For Nepal, during a Shramdana Camp at Sikharpa, Lele. In the course of the programme, I got really inspired by their vision and their drive to end education ineq…