Journey from Scientist to a Change Maker

by Richa Parasher

Richa Parasher is M.Sc in Environmental Science and Diploma in Elementary Education. She has qualified the National Eligibility Test for Lectureship. She is the recipient of Young Scientist Award from Indian Science Congress Association (DST, Govt. of India.) She is also the recipient of scholarship for the GCC course and was trained by AFS USA.

Currently she is working as a teacher and the AFS International volunteer. AFS Intercultural Programs is a global not-for-profit Network that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. AFS is her passion as her mission in life aligns with the AFS missions.She is the AFS volunteer from last five years and Facilitator for its Global competency course (GCC), Global You and Changemaker (GYC), Effect + (for educators), STEM Accelerator and STEM academies, Student learning Journey (SLJ). She has mentored all the above courses for participants from various countries. She develops understanding for sustainable development goals, design thinking, intercultural values, softskills like being empathetic, suspend judgement etc, through these programs. The participants then develop capstone project connecting with the SDG and through design thinking.

She is also one of the founder teachers and academic coordinator of Vandya International School. She has planned and developed STEM lab, Composite lab and Maths lab. She has planned the academic activities in school right from making academic calendar which includes planning of events, competitions, exams, reviewing of books for selection, reviewing of school almanac, documented syllabus, worksheets, experiments to be conducted, Olympiads and competitions to be followed, assembly themes etc. She was also involved in dealing with vendors for the stationery and book requirement. She is shouldering lot of responsibilities in the school like coordinating with teachers, house mistress, and club incharge of environment and STEM club. She teaches science and mathematics in middle school.

Prior to this school she has work experience in another school where she was an active AFS

School coordinator where she helped children to get Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (KL-YES) scholarship, Asia Kakehashi fellowship to study one academic year in US and Japan respectively. She organized the domestic exchange program, hosted the meetings for various schools in her school for shortlisting the candidates, interviewing the participants for various scholarships, guest speaker in various schools for promoting the AFS programs, taking self-initiative to talk in school assemblies for various AFS exchange programs and scholarships. She is a teacher loved by all because of her teachings as she connects science and maths to the real world, Her classes are interesting and joyful. She has led a yearlong project in partnership with University of Kentucky along with six schools in India and US where she helped children to develop scientific skills and have an intercultural experience.

Before stepping into the school as a teacher Ms. Parasher has worked as a Project Scientist in Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Visiting Scientist in ENGEES and IMFS, France, senior project Associate at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. She has published papers in various conferences. She has received various awards and honours for her academics and research, to name a few the Best paper award in the NERC at IIT Guwahati, Best Poster Presentation Award at the workshop on “AEPS”, First Prize in Model Presentation at Research Conclave 2019 organized by IIT Guwahati. Certificate for qualifying regional level presented at the 26th State Level Children’s Science Congress etc. For her excellent teaching skills, she has received the Teachers Warrior Award from IIHM Kolkata and also Certificate of qualifying the regional round of class edge classroom championship from Tata Class Edge Classroom Championship.

She thrives in high-pressure and fast-paced situations, striving for positive results by applying her positive attitude and critical thinking abilities. Further, she possess expertise in organizational skills and acumen for maximizing performance and inspiring colleagues. She is able to visualize success and identify unconventional yet highly effective strategies for achieving it. Her greatest strengths are empathetic, resilient and optimistic nature. Her mission is to help in setting up international schools, develop active global citizens, promote intercultural learning, educating and igniting young minds hence bringing peace in this world.

For more info please write to her: richaparashersharma@gmail.com