Starting Bloc Essay 1

1. Q
+
A
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

2. [ 2 ]
Summer of 2000
VILLAGE SCHOOLS // I was 12 and I met a teacher who
was 11. I decided then to start working with my aunt to set
up infrastructure for 5 rural schools in Andhra Pradesh
Q How can I continue to make impact in these
schools? On the state of education in India?
I continued to work with my aunt and study development
A to see if it leads to me to a career path in which I can
make concrete change.

3. [ 3 ]
2008
UCLA // I major in International Developmental Studies at
UCLA to find answers to my questions but education gives
me facts but not answers.
How can I and other students start making a
Q concrete difference NOW and not just learn facts
and figures?
I start the first social entrepreneurship non-profit on UCLA’s
A campus: Nourish International – A organization that allows
students to raise funds through running ventures and use
funds to implement a development project abroad.

4. [ 4 ]
2009
CAREER DECISION - Teach for India // Program launched in
2009 - I joined staff in June to help design a selection model
to find the best teachers to close the education gap in India.
Can we scale this impact nationwide? How do we
Q measure impact in India where it is not an education
gap but an education ocean?
A I decide to join the teaching fellowship to find the answers to
those questions at the grassroots level.

5. [ 5 ]
2009-2011 (?)
Teaching // I spend time as a 3rd grade teacher at a public school in Pune,
India and find the infrastructure and funding far from adequate to make the
changes I envision. I begin to realize that this is not just a India problem - it is a
global problem.
Q How can change in the education space be
accelerated? Which sectors need to be involved?
There needs to be an alignment of private, social and
A government sectors in order for change to occur exponentially.

6. [ 6 ]
NOW
GOOD/Corps // Social Innovation Firm which aims to help brands and
organizations align business strategy with social impact through
participatory and mutually beneficial relationships with their audiences.
How do I take what I am learning about creating cross-
Q sector impact and utilize it to impact change in the
education sector in India? in the world?
A ? - An answer I hope to find and keep evolving through my career.

7. [ 7 ]
EXPERIENCE
Nourish International Teach For India GOOD/Corps
All of these are outlets of my core interests:
Youth Ventures
Education
Social Entrepreneurship

8. [ 8 ]
REALIZATION: I am an intrepreneur.
I strive to make change through constantly asking
questions and seeking answers that I know will
lead to better solutions and ultimately a better
world.

9. [ 9 ]
I have a set of experiences that align with my passions and interests in life.
I have a network of individuals in the education space.
I have a set of questions that I strive to find answers to.
+
I want to learn how to scale impact, and start and fund a venture.
I want to be part of a cross-sector network of individuals who complement my skills.
I want to find cross-sector solutions using this network of people.

10. [ 10 ]
My Experiences
+
StartingBloc Fellowship
=
Maximized Impact .

11. T H AN K Y O U !
manasa@goodcorps.com