I was eighteen years old when I first truly saw the stark realities of life in the slums of Mumbai. I had always been a passionate volunteer, but witnessing that level of inequality changed something deep inside me. It planted a simple but resolute belief in my mind. I believed that every single child deserves a high quality education, one that can transform their future and lift their entire family out of poverty.
"Every single child deserves a high quality education, one that can transform their future and lift their entire family out of poverty."
More than thirty five years later, that conviction remains completely unchanged.
I was determined to create change, so in 1991, I set up the very first Akanksha center. We started with just fifteen students and one teacher. It was a small initiative, but it grew steadily because the need was so immense. Within sixteen years, Akanksha had expanded to sixty after school centers, reaching over three thousand children across the city.
But we knew we had to do more to create systemic change. In 2007, we launched our School Project in partnership with the municipal corporations of Mumbai and Pune. We wanted to pioneer a new model within the public education system itself. Today, Akanksha runs twenty seven schools across Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, continuing to drive meaningful and lasting change in education.
A year later, in 2008, I was deeply inspired by the Teach for America model. I realized we needed a movement of leaders to tackle the educational crisis at scale, so I founded Teach for India. Today, I serve as the CEO of the organization, while continuing to serve on the board of The Akanksha Foundation.
When I look back at how it all started, from those first fifteen students to the thousands we reach today, the core has never shifted. For me, the journey began with children at the center, and that remains the foundation of everything I build.
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