Sep 26, 2017 02:46 PM
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Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
My story is in no way unique. However, I admit this not with an expected dejection but an excitement and relief. The education that motivated and inspired me has done the same to help hundreds, if not thousands, of similarly difficult, clumsy, and ultimately endearing children.
I moved to Hyderabad from California at the age of fourteen. Everything I had previously known about India, and by extension Hyderabad, was a spattering of Tenali Raman comics, short-lived trips to meet relatives during which we'd boil our own water, and my grandparents' phone voices that were so loud that you'd imagine they were trying to cross the Pacific through sheer willpower.
At fourteen years old I was dropped into a new school with new rules, new norms, new faces, and new things to learn. It was terrifying. Looking back now, I realize that I took an incredible amount of comfort in my peers and teachers. Even in its early days, Oakridge chose students and teachers who would ultimately lay a foundation for a truly international education. At school I found a culture that I could both relate to and learn from. I met adult role models in my teachers who not only cared about my academic performance but also the kind of person I was developing into. Surrounded by a support network of caring peers and involved adults, I thrived. I grew into my Indian identity that I knew so little about, growing up away from Hyderabad. Equipped with rey's and mama's, I made beloved and close friends. Before I realized it, the feeling of belonging I felt at school created the foundation for building a home in Hyderabad, a city I previously knew nothing about.
Embarrassingly enough, I learned confidence at Oakridge. I played basketball obsessively with my friends at school, learned grit and basketball IQ from Kishore and Srinivas Sir who were(and still are) basketball coaches at school, and managed to represent the Ranga Reddy district as a basketball player in Andhra Pradesh's district tournaments. I worked hard to be a role model, be kind to everyone around me, and excel in my school work. My efforts were recognized and I was made "Head Boy" of my 12th grade class. I'd like to take credit for these things but I honestly don't think I had much to do with them. The opportunities were laid out in front of me. The recipes for what I deemed as success were written and tailored for me by the teachers, peers, and culture of my school. These experiences shaped me into who I am today and I believe that the right push in the right direction made all the difference in the course of my young adult life.
Now I'm finally applying to medical school. I attended a four year course at UC Berkeley and graduated with a degree in Integrative Biology. While at UC Berkeley, I obsessively played basketball, sought out and gained leadership opportunities in a variety of clubs, and worked myself to the bone to succeed academically. I didn't learn to do those things on my own, and I'm supremely grateful for everything you have given and will continue to give me.
Thank you, Oakridge.
