My World View

My hometown Nainital is in the idyllic setting of the geologically dynamic Himalayan Foothills in India, where I was born. I was raised by a family that deeply understood its connection with nature. My upbringing is shaped by incredible people, the magnificent mountains and the great outdoors. Born into a family of environmental activists and mountaineers, growing up and I not only immersed into but was also invariably surrounded by talk of natural hazards, glacial recession, and climate change. As I grew to love the outdoors, the desire to understand the processes of mountain building, earthquakes and glaciers also grew. 

I went to an all-girls school started by the German Catholic Missionaries in my hometown. For my last two years of high school, I transitioned into an American school for the International Baccalaureate program in the mountains in South India. Always having been heavily involved in voluntary work, athletics, outdoors, music and science, I decided to take a year off after high-school to explore and engage with the environment and diverse culture. I was able to work with rural communities, children with disabilities and see how livelihoods can be uplifted through sustainable living and traditional crafts. I realized the need for education, empowerment, awareness, community engagement and natural resource management. In those years I learned the joys of interdisciplinary topics of study and wanted to delve more into having a multi-faceted personality. It is this value that drew me to the liberal arts program, somewhere I could pursue science along with all my other passions. I embrace change; It drives me to work towards my aspirations and goals. My worldview and core values thus revolve around adaptability. It is a quality I am continually honing and always looking out for in other people. 

Adaptability requires resilience, a balanced approach, integrity and the ability to challenge our underlying assumptions. It provides contextual awareness and negotiating challenging situations. My earth sciences major has given me critical thinking skills essential for taking the initiative and problem-solving. Being in various leadership and scholastic roles have helped strengthen these qualities. The interdisciplinary academic structure has helped me to understand the complex interactions between natural sciences, social and human systems. Since I aim to go back to the Himalayas and give back to the community, I hope to continue to gain knowledge and experience towards a moment of change. I want to be able to condense the essence of the natural sciences and help the community thrive from more sustainable solutions.