Monthly Archives: May 2010

1 Week Till Graduation at Shanti Bhavan!

Bina Lingappa - first to graduate - next week in India at Shanti Bhavan!

The Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, the India-based school of the She’s the First network, announced incredible news on its Facebook page this week! Six of the girls in their senior class will attend college at Mt. Carmel, and five of the boys will attend St. Joseph’s, two very good universities in India. These students are all the first ever to graduate in their families, as well as from Shanti Bhavan, a state-of-the-art school for the most marginalized children of India.

These students’ four years of tuition are not fully funded, since they do not have families to support them. They were rescued from the Untouchable (lowest) class of Indian society 13 years ago. You can help! You might chip in the amount you would have spent on a movie ticket this weekend. (Watch something on YouTube instead!) Even $10 makes a difference — you only have to read one of the personal essays that the graduating seniors wrote to believe it.

This week, we put the spotlight on Binha Lingappa. She was abandoned by her mother and abused by her stepmother — because she was a girl — but transformed her outlook on life through an education at Shanti Bhavan.

I know why I was chosen to study in Shanti Bhavan. It was because I had the talent and the confidence I learnt from the school to make my dream come true. As being the eldest in my family it is my duty to look after my parents. My dream is to become a dancer and a teacher. Whatever comes my way I will always want to pursue dance.

My principal always tells me,’’ It is not what we do but who we are matters.”  I am proud that as a girl I too can contribute to my society and make this world a better place. I want to work in Shanti Bhavan and share my talents to the future children of this school. As quoted by Ruskin Bond,” A man who fails well is better than a man who succeeds badly,” I feel that no matter what I will keep on going. I have learned to be the best I can, as the motto of our school goes. I want to make the difference in the world, a drop of water makes in a mighty ocean.

Read Binha’s full essay here. Her creativity, spirit, and courage is unforgettable. You can donate a small amount to her scholarship fund here.  If you’d like to send her a personal note of support along with it, email tammy@shesthefirst.org. The She’s the First team can deliver it for you! We’re confident Binha would write back.

• Last Week’s Spotlight: Ranjini Pushpa Rayappa
• May 13th’s Spotlight: Mahalakshmi Keshavan

2 Weeks Till Graduation at Shanti Bhavan in India

Graduating senior Ranjini Pushpa Rayappa

Last week, we started a weekly spotlight on the female graduates of Shanti Bhavan’s first graduating class — a momentous occasion. Keep in mind that 13 years ago, the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project,  a proud member of She’s the First, opened as a first-class boarding school in India for the poorest of children. Today, they are releasing 50 future leaders into the world to continue their college education, which you can directly support through this link.

Today, we highlight the personal statement of 17-year-old Ranjini Pushpa Rayappa, who horrifically writes of how her father tried to murder she and her mother when she was four. But then Shanti Bhavan discovered her and enrolled her in school, where an education transformed her options in life:

“Kutti (my mother’s pet name for me) I expect you to be independent,” said my mother one day when I witnessed the hardships she faced at home. Only sorrow found itself in our house, combined with constant quarrels. With hope in her eyes she added,  “I never want you to depend on me or my wages to succeed in your life. I want you to study well and have control of your life. I don’t want my fate to be yours.”

Even today, at the age of seventeen, these words have been the driving motivation that keeps me moving towards fulfilling my goals. In school, being surrounded by teachers and caregivers almost 24 hours a day has made me aware of the power of education and advantages in using it. In school realizing my capabilities I created dreams for the future. My teachers, friends and principal helped me grow into who I am today. To my teachers my work was an evidence of my ability. They sought every opportunity to tell me they had faith in my strengths and made me believe in myself.

Through the years, I developed into a confident student possessing a strong sense of leadership. I too expect a lot out of life and myself. I want life to be a challenging path towards success where I give my best in everything I do. I relate my expectations to my positive approach to life. Many people have said ‘Expectations hurt.’ I believe they hurt when you let them defeat you, when you turn down opportunities, when you have lost faith in yourself.

On completing my studies in the twelfth grade, I am determined to complete my Bachelors degree in either Business Administration or Management. I am also looking at options such as Chartered Accountancy.  This is a highly desired position in the business field and is difficult to attain, but I am prepared for this challenge. Having the passion to one day become an entrepreneur, my strengths lead me towards this line of career. I want to earn multiple degrees in order to fulfill my personal goals and simultaneously work towards meeting my family’s needs. My main goal in life is to help my family and give back to society. I was one of the few privileged children who received help through Shanti Bhavan. Many of my neighbors and friends are in the same critical condition as I once was, but luck turned out to have betrayed them. I want to make a difference in the lives of other children who are also waiting for an answer to their prayers.

We are deeply inspired by Ranjini, how about you? Read her full personal statement on shantibhavanonline.org.

Countdown to Graduation at Shanti Bhavan

Thirteen years ago, the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project opened as a first-class boarding school in India for the poorest of children whose families, treated like dirt, came from the lowest class — literally called the Untouchables. Today, we are proud to have Shanti Bhavan in the She’s the First network, and we join them in celebrating a feat like no other: their very first graduation on June 6th!

Every week leading up to Graduation Day, the She’s the First blog will spotlight one of the female graduates of the Shanti Bhavan Class of 2010. In their own words, these girls will speak to the power of education in transforming their lives and their hopes for the future. Shanti Bhavan will continue supporting these young women in college too — annual tuition is $2,000 per student. She’s the First wants to help! Don’t feel pressure to foot the whole bill with your fundraising…You can donate any amount to support the Scholarship Fund and maintain a relationship with these students who share their stories on shantibhavanonline.org. Donate any amount directly here, and tell Shanti Bhavan that you’re repping She’s the First!

Now, meet the first scholar in our Shanti Bhavan spotlight series…we proudly present Mahalakshmi Keshavan!

Mahalakshmi Keshavan, Shanti Bhavan Graduate

Born as girl from deprived family background, I had little chance of a bright future, or even dreaming of one.  My father was a mason who worked to feed a large family.  As a young girl, I did not anticipate ever going to school. A girl being educated was unheard of in my family. Instead, I spent my days on the fields with my grandparents, waiting for the next meal…

Today, I am a young woman with a voice of her own. Obstacles do not slow my pace. Rather, my background has fueled my desire to fight injustice. My desire to eliminate discrimination and inequity from the face of humanity was instilled in me after I witnessed women in my family being beaten, the innocence of children robbed by abuse and the lives of laborers blighted by the deceiving rich. I am currently preparing for my Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) in the pursuit of becoming a lawyer.

Law will give me the voice to defy the prevailing oppression and inequality alive in Indian communities. This road has not been taken by any others in my community. The idea of educating a female child in my village still makes eyes widen with shock. But, I strongly believe that my community will look upon me as a harbinger of hope once my dreams become reality. I know that I’m not alone in this race. Running by my side are my parents and the members of Shanti Bhavan family who constantly urge me never to lose sight the finish line. I have faith in my endeavors and so does my founder. He revealed this faith in me when I was in fourth grade through his words “Goodnight, my young lawyer.”

Inspired? Tell us how you feel after reading Mahalakshmi’s words! >READ HER FULL PERSONAL STATEMENT HERE