Today, I’m happy to introduce Pragya Nandini, a student passionate about social change who writes about current events and her interests in the social sector over at Bites of News. This is one part of a series of interviews I hope to do featuring young changemakers and non-profiteers (if you’d like to take part and be featured, please leave a comment!) Enjoy!
Name: Pragya Nandini
Age: 20
Undergraduate School: George Washington University
Major: Economics
Bio: I grew up my whole life in a New Jersey suburb. The things that defined me as a person are my close-knit family, my trips to India, and the small boarding school I attended during high school. Through my family I learned the importance of giving, and education. Through my trips to India I learned about the dire poverty in the world. I also saw that life isn’t fair for many, but I can do something to change that. Seeing starving children and beggars in the street catalyzed many thoughts within me about welfare, employment, social services, and charity. At my boarding school I found myself in an atmosphere where I could define myself in more than one way, and that identity was a fluid concept. People there were not simply smart, or athletic, or artistic, they could be any combination of these things. I also honed my critical thinking skills, and once more saw the necessity of giving back to the community. These three things combined make me the ambitious person I am today dedicated to social change.
What is your long term career goal/interest?
While I am unsure about where I see myself long-term, I know that ultimately I want to have a career making a difference for people. That is a very vague goal, but at this point in my life I have so many different passions (women’s issues, microfinance, India, education domestically and internationally, with a slight interest in politics too). I refuse to commit myself to any one of these issues yet, they all incite a passion within me, and I can see myself doing great things in each arena. I just want to help people.
How did you first become interested in non-profit issues?
I’m not sure I would say my interest is in non-profit issues. My interests are those stated before, women’s issues, microfinance, etc. I don’t know if the non-profit sector is always the best way to allocate resources to those in need. Sometimes the government works best and sometimes the for-profit sector does. Ultimately I am fascinated by all three as facilitators of community-building, and hope to gain experience in each. Recently I have had the most experience with non-profits because I have happened to find specific non-profits which dealt with issues that sparked my interest.
What social cause or issue are you most passionate about?
It’s truly so difficult for me to choose one. Due to personal experiences I have a strong belief in the power of education. I think that it can drastically change a person’s worldview, and is a fundamental tool of empowerment. Having said that I am also greatly affected when I see inequality. Whether it is the caste system, gender, sexual orientation, or race – something stirs within me when I see people who have been subjected to worse or unjust conditions.
I seek to change the world by finding ways to empower people. I don’t really like the idea of charity in the traditional sense. I want to see that I have helped people break themselves free from the vicious cycle of inequality. They will attain a sense of self-worth, and an attitude which no amount of money can ever bring about on its own. These shifts in attitudes can make a world of a difference when they are coupled with educational and financial opportunities.
What non-profits have you worked with in the past?
Previously I interned for Givology, a peer to peer online market place which works to bridge the gap between donors and students in the developing world who need help paying for their education. I also just completed an internship with Echoing Green, a nonprofit which provides seed capital and technical assistance to budding social entrepreneurs.
Are you involved in any non-profit related activities at your university? Do you feel like your university provides enough opportunities and resources for young people who want to intern and work in the non-profit sector?
I started a university chapter of Givology at my university (called Givology at GW). Our main mission as a chapter is to spread awareness about the inequities in education in the developing world, and to fundraise for the students who need help paying for their education. We are about to start our second year as a group this September. To be honest I am unaware if GW provides opportunities and resources for students to work and intern in the non-profit sector. My own attitude with internships has generally been very independent and I have never looked into the GW career center. Having said that, I do hear a lot about opportunities to work for government agencies. Perhaps that is a sign that GW does not do enough?
As a South Asian person, do you feel like your non-profit experience is different in any way? Do you feel at all pressured to follow a different career path? And, what do you think about the dearth of South Asians in the non-profit field?
I don’t know if I’d say my experience has been different as a South Asian.
Growing up, my mother, who has been most involved in my identity formation, realized soon that I have many different passions and my abilities extend beyond the typical academic realm. While I’m sure she would not complain if I pursued a medical or engineering degree, she quickly saw that I had different ideas for myself. I have always been very fortunate in that she supported my life goals with a few caveats: I must always excel academically (no matter the subject), and I must be able to provide for myself financially. I don’t think I received pressure to go along a different career path. Even if someone ever did make a comment I generally did not care. I’ve been told that I am “unabashedly myself”. People who know me know that I can’t really be pressured to do something I don’t want to… I think people gave up after I was about 3 years old (haha).
While perhaps there are not as many South Asians in the non-profit sector, I think that South Asians often find other ways to give back. Whether they provide pro-bono legal work, work for the US government, or spend a few years with Doctors Without Borders – these are all people who have followed a more “traditional” career trajectory – yet they are providing huge services to society. Ultimately I think people find their strengths, and some find ways to give back by utilizing these strengths. Sometimes the non-profit sector doesn’t have adequate paths for these people. Perhaps that is why we don’t see as many South Asians in the non-profit sector. I am excited to see how it changes as the years go by, though.
What have you seen as the biggest challenge in the non-profit sector?
Excellent question. My experience as president of Givology at GW might help me answer this question best. Though we are a student organization, in many ways we do the same things as a non-profit except in a university setting. I think our biggest hurdles have been trying to communicate why our cause is worthwhile. Often when you work at a non-profit you devote so much time to a specific cause that it starts to define so much about you and says a lot about your passions. Having said that it can be almost hard to believe when other people need to be persuaded about why what you do matters. Igniting that passion within others is often what I hope to do with Givology at GW. I hope that others realize how empowering an education can be for students in the developing world. To me, once you incite that passion within a person, they can be a social change agent alongside you. That is so exciting and daunting and DIFFICULT! My short answer is that the most difficult thing is communicating why what you do matters, and recruiting people who can devote time or resources to your cause.
What has been, for you, most rewarding about working with social change organizations?
Honestly, the most rewarding part is being surrounded by incredibly intelligent people who don’t accept the world for what it is. I am simply so impressed by the people who I have had the privilege of meeting and working with. To see people who also want to devote their lives to social change inspires me and drives me further. It uplifts me when I know that there are so many smart, caring people out there working to improve the world.
How can we encourage young people to become more involved in activism and social change, not just as a volunteer opportunity but a career path?
I don’t know if I specifically advocate careers in social change. I advocate doing what you love. I think people need to be passionate about what they do. Some of the people who have contributed most to the betterment of our society did not start out as young idealists looking to change the world through activism. They pursued their passion and it naturally led them to improving the world. Honestly, where would we be if Alexander Fleming did not perform research (and ultimately discover penicillin), but rather he went to practice medicine in the slums? Of course he would have helped plenty of people as a doctor committed to social change, but instead he pursued his passion and that ended up being much bigger than anything we could have ever imagined.
My best friend, Val, doesn’t want to be a part of the social sector exactly, but she wants to be a journalist. She is an excellent writer, and her contribution to society might be reporting on an issue which eventually catalyzes a movement within society.
What tips do you have for other students who want to get involved in social justice and non-profit efforts?
Use idealist.org religiously if you are looking for an opportunity to get involved. You will find that the majority of the people you come across in the non-profit field are incredibly well-read and informed. They want to know that you’re not just an idealist, but also a person who understands the realities of social change. Social change is hard, it doesn’t always work, and you must always adapt to the circumstances. Stay on top of current events, and feel comfortable talking about a whole range of issues.
It’s nice if you read about an issue such as microfinance and think, “WOW! sounds like a great idea! I’m all for it now!” but also be able to back it up with concrete knowledge. Example: Though your passion might be microfinance, you also ought to know about how microfinance intersects with the financial sector (many banks invest in microfinance institutions – you should consider how that changes once the recession hit), how are MFI’s in India different from MFI’s in Peru? What ways do MFI’s minimize risk of defaulting loans? How are women as recipients of loans different from men?
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