I grew up, studied, and spent most of my life in Michigan. My first big aspiration was to be a novelist, and then later a filmmaker; to those ends, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and 90% of an associate’s degree in Video Production. However, what I actually did to pay the bills was loss prevention and shrink analysis for a big box retailer. I began my career with Shanti Bhavan in 2015, doing part-time administrative work. In 2017, I accepted an offer to grow my role with the organization, which led me to Seattle and my current position.
Since my work mainly involves the U.S.-side of Shanti Bhavan operations, I have yet to visit the campus in India. However, every so often, some of the students visiting or going to school in the U.S. make their way to Seattle, and when they do, I’m always there to welcome them. Whether it’s recording video of Amrutha as she gives a speech or helping Vyshali and Thulasi set up their cell phone plans before venturing off to college, meeting the kids we help is always a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. Those moments aren’t just my favorite work experiences – they’re some of my favorite memories, period.