The Real World is REALLY Real
One Can At Least Dream...
College is an exciting time. It's a time to meet new people. It's a time to learn through success and failure, or what I like to call "experience." It's a time to step out of the classroom, giving our writing and typing fingers a rest and giving our brains and bodies a real workout.
Most importantly, it's a time to keep all your doors open. It's a brief period in our lives when there are hundreds of opportunities in front of us. Shutting those doors too early would be a shame, because you never know when you might want to go through them again. Be interesting. Be different.
College is an exciting time. It's a time to meet new people. It's a time to learn through success and failure, or what I like to call "experience." It's a time to step out of the classroom, giving our writing and typing fingers a rest and giving our brains and bodies a real workout.
Most importantly, it's a time to keep all your doors open. It's a brief period in our lives when there are hundreds of opportunities in front of us. Shutting those doors too early would be a shame, because you never know when you might want to go through them again. Be interesting. Be different.
Be you.
Kahaani, a World Renowned Bollywood Dance Team
Kahaani is my brainchild. The first Bollywood dance team at our school, Kahaani is dedicated to putting on a performance that anyone can relate to. Although the songs are in Hindi, there is a story line in English, complete with lead characters and costume changes. My favorite part about the team is that not everyone is Indian! The dancers represent so many different cultures, which allows us to bring together many talents that are represented around different parts of the world. Just like the Bollywood film industry itself, our choreography is influenced by several cultures, bringing out tons of new flavors with each song. Our first year was so successful that we were invited to perform at the Paramount Theater in Seattle Theater Group's production of Dance This! I'll never forget teaching +1000 people in the audience some of our moves and then having them perform with us during the finale!
Kahaani used to be the Fusion Dance Team, which I had joined my freshman year. However, our style of dancing was missing something that made it difficult for the audience to connect to our performances. After the team failed to put on any performances my sophomore year, my idea to overhaul the old team and putting a Bollywood twist could not have come at a better time. Our team unanimously agreed with my idea, and something new and wonderful was born. Check out the Fusion Dance Team in the first video below, and then compare it to Kahaani in the second video. You'll truly understand how far the team came in just one year!
Kahaani is my brainchild. The first Bollywood dance team at our school, Kahaani is dedicated to putting on a performance that anyone can relate to. Although the songs are in Hindi, there is a story line in English, complete with lead characters and costume changes. My favorite part about the team is that not everyone is Indian! The dancers represent so many different cultures, which allows us to bring together many talents that are represented around different parts of the world. Just like the Bollywood film industry itself, our choreography is influenced by several cultures, bringing out tons of new flavors with each song. Our first year was so successful that we were invited to perform at the Paramount Theater in Seattle Theater Group's production of Dance This! I'll never forget teaching +1000 people in the audience some of our moves and then having them perform with us during the finale!
Kahaani used to be the Fusion Dance Team, which I had joined my freshman year. However, our style of dancing was missing something that made it difficult for the audience to connect to our performances. After the team failed to put on any performances my sophomore year, my idea to overhaul the old team and putting a Bollywood twist could not have come at a better time. Our team unanimously agreed with my idea, and something new and wonderful was born. Check out the Fusion Dance Team in the first video below, and then compare it to Kahaani in the second video. You'll truly understand how far the team came in just one year!
No More CRYing Kids
I love to dance. In high school, I was honored to perform with Dreams, a well-established Bollywood performance group that puts on elaborate musicals in the Seattle area to raise money for an Indian-based child rights organization, called CRY (Child Rights & You). I wanted to learn more about CRY and continue contributing to it, so a few friends and I started a University of Washington Chapter of the charity.
We were excited in our first two years to raise upwards of $5,000 to send to CRY's headquarters in India. However, we would not be satisfied unless we saw exactly how that money was spent. We decided to plan a brigade for reconnaissance. We wanted to study the headquarter's operations as well as visit specific sites where children's lives changed on account of CRY's contributions. This experience was a great blessing, as I saw the great work CRY and its partner organizations had done, and I came back home with newly inspired ideas to get our university chapter even more involved.
Here is my reflection on my experience at one of the project sites:
"Before the trip, I knew that CRY India provides support to NGOs that work with children. This weekend, I truly learned the nature of that support. It seems that CRY looks for NGOs that harness three major forces: knowledge, of a child's universal rights; solidarity, of a community so that many voices are empowered and not just one; and perseverance, to work tirelessly over the several years it takes to effect change. An NGO, with the personal and monetary support from CRY, injects these forces into a community like a vaccine to treat the diseases of injustice and dejected attitudes passed down through generations. As a Maharashtrian by background, I am proud to have witnessed the incredible strength in the people of this state to end a vicious cycle and help children reach their full potential."
I love to dance. In high school, I was honored to perform with Dreams, a well-established Bollywood performance group that puts on elaborate musicals in the Seattle area to raise money for an Indian-based child rights organization, called CRY (Child Rights & You). I wanted to learn more about CRY and continue contributing to it, so a few friends and I started a University of Washington Chapter of the charity.
We were excited in our first two years to raise upwards of $5,000 to send to CRY's headquarters in India. However, we would not be satisfied unless we saw exactly how that money was spent. We decided to plan a brigade for reconnaissance. We wanted to study the headquarter's operations as well as visit specific sites where children's lives changed on account of CRY's contributions. This experience was a great blessing, as I saw the great work CRY and its partner organizations had done, and I came back home with newly inspired ideas to get our university chapter even more involved.
Here is my reflection on my experience at one of the project sites:
"Before the trip, I knew that CRY India provides support to NGOs that work with children. This weekend, I truly learned the nature of that support. It seems that CRY looks for NGOs that harness three major forces: knowledge, of a child's universal rights; solidarity, of a community so that many voices are empowered and not just one; and perseverance, to work tirelessly over the several years it takes to effect change. An NGO, with the personal and monetary support from CRY, injects these forces into a community like a vaccine to treat the diseases of injustice and dejected attitudes passed down through generations. As a Maharashtrian by background, I am proud to have witnessed the incredible strength in the people of this state to end a vicious cycle and help children reach their full potential."
Art of the Gods
In high school I was on a Relay for Life team that decided to do henna tattoos as its fundraiser. I had never drawn a henna tattoo before, so I figured other people on our team would man the tattoo table. While I was resting at the table alone, a little girl came up with five dollars in her hand and asked if I could draw a tattoo for her. I was going to tell her to come back in a few minutes when one of my teammates with the proper dexterity returned. But she was so eager to get a tattoo that she handed me the henna cone. I couldn't refuse, so I took her five dollars and got to work. I had no pre-printed designs to emulate, so I had to come up with something on my own. I drew the most generic thing that a henna tattoo could be: a flower. But it was a darn good flower, and the little girl loved it! Every year since then, I encouraged every Relay for Life team I had ever been a part of to do a henna fundraiser because it is fun and easy; people will pay a lot for this stuff! I came up with these designs on my own, and I'm continuing to learn new designs. This summer, my sister is having a traditional Indian wedding, and my mom plans to employ me as a full time henna tattoo artist during the festivities. I definitely have my work cut out for me!
In high school I was on a Relay for Life team that decided to do henna tattoos as its fundraiser. I had never drawn a henna tattoo before, so I figured other people on our team would man the tattoo table. While I was resting at the table alone, a little girl came up with five dollars in her hand and asked if I could draw a tattoo for her. I was going to tell her to come back in a few minutes when one of my teammates with the proper dexterity returned. But she was so eager to get a tattoo that she handed me the henna cone. I couldn't refuse, so I took her five dollars and got to work. I had no pre-printed designs to emulate, so I had to come up with something on my own. I drew the most generic thing that a henna tattoo could be: a flower. But it was a darn good flower, and the little girl loved it! Every year since then, I encouraged every Relay for Life team I had ever been a part of to do a henna fundraiser because it is fun and easy; people will pay a lot for this stuff! I came up with these designs on my own, and I'm continuing to learn new designs. This summer, my sister is having a traditional Indian wedding, and my mom plans to employ me as a full time henna tattoo artist during the festivities. I definitely have my work cut out for me!
Curing Cataracts
I am incredibly lucky to have my current undergraduate research position. I initially did research in the Li Lab in the department of Biological Structure, studying insulin signaling for diabetes and lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans (microscopic worms) during my freshman and sophomore years. Unfortunately, my Principal Investigator was unable to secure tenure, and the lab's operations were discontinued. I still made lasting friendships with my lab mates and my mentors, and it was in the Li Lab where I gained all of my basic knowledge of biology and laboratory practices.
The nature of my work in the Klevit Lab is very different from that in the Li Lab. Instead of visualizing phenotypes using model organisms and microscopy, I am now studying molecules in vitro. To me, that means I need to have a lot more faith in the assays and evaluation techniques since I can't actually see what these molecules are doing! Nonetheless, it has stretched my thinking in ways I never considered. This is the poster my co-worker and I presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in May 2013.
I am incredibly lucky to have my current undergraduate research position. I initially did research in the Li Lab in the department of Biological Structure, studying insulin signaling for diabetes and lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans (microscopic worms) during my freshman and sophomore years. Unfortunately, my Principal Investigator was unable to secure tenure, and the lab's operations were discontinued. I still made lasting friendships with my lab mates and my mentors, and it was in the Li Lab where I gained all of my basic knowledge of biology and laboratory practices.
The nature of my work in the Klevit Lab is very different from that in the Li Lab. Instead of visualizing phenotypes using model organisms and microscopy, I am now studying molecules in vitro. To me, that means I need to have a lot more faith in the assays and evaluation techniques since I can't actually see what these molecules are doing! Nonetheless, it has stretched my thinking in ways I never considered. This is the poster my co-worker and I presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in May 2013.
Salve el Mundo
The clinical experience I gained in Panama made me very sure I want to become a doctor. Our incredible team worked hard all year to raise money for medicine, and we took it all down to Panama with us. We set up a clinic for three days, during which I was responsible for taking patient histories, administering anti-parasitic medication, and giving presentations on basic health upkeep and disease prevention. The catch? It was one hundred percent in Spanish. Sometimes, I even had to translate between the physicians and patients, which felt like an enormous responsibility!
I am actually highly critical of medical mission trips, and even though I gained great experience in Panama, the project had its problems. The two biggest issues are that it is not sustainable and that it does not address the root problems of health. However, the reality is that people in these remote villages in Panama do need health care, so Global Medical Brigades is fine as a temporary fix. My deeper conversations with some of the locals and my studies in anthropology, however, have allowed me to see a multitude of other more effective ways that resources from developed countries can be used to make permanent change in developing countries that will improve health outcomes. I hope to continue exploring global health during my studies in medical school.
The clinical experience I gained in Panama made me very sure I want to become a doctor. Our incredible team worked hard all year to raise money for medicine, and we took it all down to Panama with us. We set up a clinic for three days, during which I was responsible for taking patient histories, administering anti-parasitic medication, and giving presentations on basic health upkeep and disease prevention. The catch? It was one hundred percent in Spanish. Sometimes, I even had to translate between the physicians and patients, which felt like an enormous responsibility!
I am actually highly critical of medical mission trips, and even though I gained great experience in Panama, the project had its problems. The two biggest issues are that it is not sustainable and that it does not address the root problems of health. However, the reality is that people in these remote villages in Panama do need health care, so Global Medical Brigades is fine as a temporary fix. My deeper conversations with some of the locals and my studies in anthropology, however, have allowed me to see a multitude of other more effective ways that resources from developed countries can be used to make permanent change in developing countries that will improve health outcomes. I hope to continue exploring global health during my studies in medical school.
How to be Indian 101
Serving as an officer for The Indian Student Association at UW was a natural progression from my work with the Indian Association of Western Washington Youth Board in high school. The Indian community at UW has provided me a strong network of friends and even some whom I now consider family. They've connected me to personal and professional opportunities, and without them I would not have found the inspiration to start my Bollywood dance team! To the Indian Student Association, I owe so much of the comfort with which I currently live my life and pursue my goals.
Serving as an officer for The Indian Student Association at UW was a natural progression from my work with the Indian Association of Western Washington Youth Board in high school. The Indian community at UW has provided me a strong network of friends and even some whom I now consider family. They've connected me to personal and professional opportunities, and without them I would not have found the inspiration to start my Bollywood dance team! To the Indian Student Association, I owe so much of the comfort with which I currently live my life and pursue my goals.