[Editor's Note: This post is from guest blogger Isabel Rutherfurd, who is a volunteer teacher at Shanti Bhavan.]
Catherine describes her dreams to study Psychology and reflects on the future she would have had had she not been a student at Shanti Bhavan
Catherine, an 11th grader at Shanti Bhavan, explains the difference her education has made in her life.
Catherine says that had she not come to Shanti Bhavan, she “probably would have dropped out of school to work at the stitching factory where they make clothes.”
She goes on to say that when in her 20’s she realizes she would have been home with children doing housework. “At home, my sister and my brother– they are just working and they are not paid enough. They have been working for a long time, ‘cheating’ about their age because in India you have to work above 18, but they needed to get a job. They work, but it’s not a good job. My mother was working as a janitor in a company, but she had a lot of aches in her legs, so she’s at home now.”
Catherine is a great student who excels in her coursework, loves film, and dreams big about the future. She says, “The education, which I got at Shanti Bhavan is really good. I think I have a lot of opportunities after coming to Shanti Bhavan. After leaving Shanti Bhavan I think I will [study] psychology and pursue it to help people.”
“I am extremely happy I came to Shanti Bhavan,” Catherine says. “It has changed my life a lot; it is the home which everyone can dream of.”
Want to help more girls like Catherine learn to dream big? Come out to the GIRLS WHO ROCK show in New York City on Friday, May 18th. Check out additional details about the concert including talent line-up and buy your tickets here! You can follow us on Twitter at @girlswhorockny