Going into the third year in my undergraduate program in Honours International Development Studies, I learnt and continue to learn a great deal: From cultural anthropology of global laws and paradigm-shifting perspectives in South Asia to management essentials as well as economic development policies. My South Indian-American identity colours my educational pursuits, vocations, and creative endeavours because I believe in giving back to the community that raised me. This is why it felt like a miracle connecting with the folks at Betsy Elizabeth Trust (BET) and Help Kids India (HKI). It is one thing to secure an internship opportunity. It is entirely another for it to be such a perfect fit that encapsulates your dreams and provokes a lasting academic curiosity. I am proud to be the first Tamil intern in their 25-year long history.
BET, a grassroots organization located in Tamilnadu, India, is an incredible undertaking to provide educational opportunities for children across all castes and faiths. HKI is a funding source that spreads awareness of BET, especially in Northeast America and part of Europe. I was especially impressed by its managing director, Hilda Isaac. She has the vision to not only promote better student outcomes, but also work towards women's job security and class empowerment. BET has five preschools in total. I worked with two in Porayar and Thillaiyadi, Helping Hearts Preschool and Aalam Vizhuthugal Preschool. Here, BET also has a community health center and a two-acre farm.
My internship can be summarised by three objectives: capture, comprehend, and create. First, I would capture stories by conducting focus groups with graduates, their families, and staff. This leads to my next step. I comprehend my findings by translating and analyzing interviews to assess preschool influence. Then, I made physical and digital logs and gave weekly call updates to HKI. My final (and favourite) objective was to create my findings. I love to stand out by delivering academic topics in an engaging manner through creative mediums. I explored a range of developmental topics like the impacts of providing nutrition in early stage schooling, sustainable community farming, the importance of teacher satisfaction in promoting educational outcomes, and more, through short Tamil videos that I filmed, edited, and translated with English subtitles.
Along the way, I gave back to the preschool communities by painting a 5x7ft large mural in Aalam Vizhuthugal preschool. This was one of the many highlights I got to experience for the duration of my internship. In terms of my professional enrichment, I picked up insider information into future endeavours and even directly observed some, which include: the construction of the Thillaiyadi Health Centre, the sewing project fundraiser, and the beginnings of a possible micro-loan system.
The staff felt like my family. This opened up some prospects of deep inquiry since I was able to get closer to them through our connected mother tongue. Even so, the informal setting meant the planning was informal too, therefore, I would not know the interview schedule until I got on-site. It meant a lot of what I was doing depended on social skills and took away the sense of organizational processes and procedures that are expected in Western internships. Tamil came in handy here since I adapted quickly by communicating with staff and then listing my ad hoc duties in my notebook.
While speaking to Hilda about the preschool鈥檚 funding options and future pursuits, I noticed she was brainstorming intersectional solutions. I am grateful to be able to shadow this skill since it will support me in my future developmental studies. She also demonstrated how important interpersonal skills and forming connections, workplace tasks, that are usually trivialized, complement one鈥檚 direct 鈥渉ard work.鈥� Further, working in person gave me insights into practical groundwork where I got to generate primary source information rather than reproducing existing research. This is another skill I see myself being frequently involved in as I continue on my career path.
I was motivated to apply and will be receiving academic credit for this internship under Professor Ollivier Dyens. For my presentation, I will explain how this experience helped me understand and overcome challenges often faced in professional settings related to social entrepreneurship.
I am appreciative of the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Award because it assisted me in: booking drivers, acquiring art supplies and chocolates for the preschool, and buying sarees for the staff as a token of appreciation for making this experience so wonderful. I thank my donor for letting me embark on this opportunity, granting me lasting professional and personal growth.
