Fellows for Life

Applying for an Indicorps Fellowship was no giant leap for me. Community building and empowerment, in its various forms, is the only "career direction" I can remember ever having. So after completing my undergraduate and graduate degrees in International Development at the University of Denver, I applied to serve in India as an Indicorps Fellow.

As an alum of the Indicorps Fellowship, my story is a testament to the organization’s ideals and practices. And, as Indicorps is Sonal Shah’s investment towards the progress and development of India – our common country of heritage – my story is also a testament to her values and mission-oriented work.

My Fellowship was located in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, in a tsunami-affected part of the country. In an effort to enhance adolescent girl empowerment, we created a resource center for girls affected by the tsunami, where they could explore the world around them in a safe space. Many communities, and many girls – fishermen, Dalit, Muslim, Hindu – were all impacted by the devastation, and thus included in the VIP (“Valar Ilam Pengal” means Adolescent Girls in Tamil) Project. The girls took computer classes and learned to make crafts, socialized with their peers, and were encouraged to take leadership roles within the VIP sphere.

I returned from India in October 2006. I was struggling to find a meaningful job and, as that process lingered on, I struggled to find a way to channel my newfound eagerness to be an active member of my community, in creating positive change.

During that time, Sonal put me in touch with various people in my intended field of work, to give me guidance and offer me connections. She also answered my emails and phone calls with guidance and encouragement of her own, all the while doing this for numerous other Indicorps Fellows and sorting out her own transition from Goldman Sachs in New York to Google.org on the opposite side of the country. When she was in Denver for a brief family visit, she met with me at a coffee shop. I can remember the personal attention and hope she offered me when, with tears in my eyes, I explained how difficult I found it to have not yet found a job, and how I was unable to channel my eagerness and optimism.

I am continually humbled and awed that Sonal, amidst projects of a grander nature, would also give me so much support and attention in my meager attempts to find a job! She is genuine, committed, and incredibly brilliant. I am even more impressed with Barack Obama today, knowing that he has chosen to surround himself with people like Sonal Shah.

I now work in Corporate Social Responsibility for a bank that serves both urban and rural Colorado. I find myself transferring many of the lessons learned and experiences shared during my Fellowship, to my current projects. We call ourselves Fellows for Life. This is partially because the experience is so profound that we will remember our year of service forever. But it is mostly because serving as an Indicorps Fellow does not start or end with our year of service. It is a profound experience that will continue to shape us, and the paths we choose, as we move on in our lives.

Kavitha Kailasam
Indicorps Fellow, 2005-2006