Home: Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Bagmati

Education: MA (Gender and Socialization) , Padma Kanya College, Nepal

I am Gayatri K.C. I live in Maharjgunj, Kathmandu; the city I was born in. I am the eldest daughter in my family of five. My dad is a retired government officer. My mother is a housewife and she is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Being the eldest, I bear the majority of responsibilities in my family. I am from Kathmandu, and I didn’t know much about rural life until my previous job, where I was working in Kavrepalanchok.

I studied in boarding schools. The rules and regulations in my school were very strict. In my school most of the students were from elite families, and many of us felt that our teachers supported them more than the children from middle class families like ours. At the same time, I was an average student. This meant that I used to be neglected by my teachers a lot and was frequently punished. I passed my SLC in 1st division and completed rest of my education from Padma Kanya Multiple College. I initially started a Bachelor’s in Business Studies, but I left that, and later joined a Bachelor’s in Social Work. I passed in 1st division. Currently I am doing a Master’s in Child Development and Gender Socialization.

My values in my life are to work hard, to be honest and to believe that nothing is impossible. When one door of opportunity closes then a better door of opportunity will open somewhere else. The only thing is that we have to search for it. I am a child social worker. I started my career from the grassroots level. There were lots of hurdles and tough competition but with great patience I have come to this point. In order to establish myself in the social work sector in the early years I had to work very hard, and I am still working.

Before joining Teach for Nepal I worked in an educational project to increase students’ graduation and pass rates. I understood the urgency of the issue. When I came to know about TFN I very much wanted to be a part of this movement and applied. There have been no surprises. Whatever I thought about TFN initially remains the same.

It is very hard for a child to believe in new people but when they start to believe then they start to share, learn and trust. I look forward to gaining this trust. The schools we are going to are also hoping that we will bring changes in student performance. There are many challenges ahead of us -- but nothing is impossible. In five to ten years, I would want to see myself as an educational expert who can influence the policies of Nepal. I have joined Teach for Nepal to both learn and to have an impact on the way to achieving this goal. I am a little nervous when I think about how I will now be responsible for the future of some children. These children, parents, school, teachers, community and my own family believe in me.