Meghana Raveendra (Mumbai, India)
Born and raised in Pune, I always hated going to school as I did not fit into the Indian educational system. As a student, I found it difficult to memorize answers from the textbook, often choosing to write descriptive answers in my own words. I was especially scared by examinations, during which I was subject to much competition and pressure from my surroundings to do well. As a result, I developed anxiety issues that continue to impact my mental health as an adult. At university, I realized that mainstream education was not the answer for my learning needs and thus, quit college.
Over last 11 years I learnt a lot more through experiences by working with children, volunteering, working with non-profits. It was in 2013, when I taught 100 children for 2 years as a part of Teach for India fellowship is when I understood that the damage caused by education system still continues and hasn’t changed since 25 years. I continued to work with children and volunteers from various socio-economic backgrounds to gain a deeper understanding of our education system. This led me to study Social Leadership / Entrepreneurship at an International Institute for Social Change in 2019 where I co-founded moringa, a platform to sow seeds of interventions that grow into strong pillars of well-being for our children which will create transformation in the educations system from within.