Before, I used to be a very shy and reserved person.  Outside of family and close friends, I struggled to communicate with people.   But in May of 2013, I anchored the entire LEAD Valedictory Hubli ceremony, in which I was required to speak publicly to an audience of 200 members.  Many of you might wonder how I was able to do this.  This transformation came about from the confidence that I gained after completing my LEAD project. 

I have strong English skills, and I recognized that knowing English in today’s globalized world is a necessity.  However, learning English can be challenging and expensive and poor children, especially those who live in slums, usually get left behind.  I wanted to help the children from slum areas learn English so that I could give them a better future.  My Co-LEADer Marcia and I coordinated with the Smart Kids Education Trust in Hubli and made arrangements to teach one-hour English and math sessions, three times a week, to 20 students between 1^st and 9^th Standard.  I am proud to say that three of the children that I taught have built up their English skills so much that they are now attending an English medium school.  For this project, I was awarded the “Best Project of Education Promotion” award at the LEAD Valedictory, Hubli ceremony in May of 2013. 

Working with these students really inspired me.  I became so dedicated to the project that I taught the students even while I had exams.  I also continued to teach them after I had completed the 18 sessions that I had initially planned, and I started spending two hours with them on Sundays as well.  My efforts towards improving these students may be considered a project, but I have personally not taken it as merely a project.  I want to keep going, and I want to continue helping these students until I get tired.

LEAD made me bold enough to speak in front of people.  After spending dozens of hours teaching with these students, I was able to enhance my communication and public speaking skills.  Not only can I easily communicate with strangers, but I can engage, advise, and mentor them as well.  Throughout my sessions, I was constantly having to make adjustments to my lesson plans and think of new ways to make my lessons more interactive so that the students would be more eager to learn. Now, I feel confident managing groups of people.

Aside from my personal development, LEAD has presented me with other opportunities.  LEAD Yuva Summit 2013 was a dream come true for me, as I was able to meet my role model, Sudha Murthy.  I also met and interacted with Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar and Ratan Tata.  These experiences are momentous events that I will remember throughout her whole life.