Rakhi Kundra ’17 Discusses Impact of Global Speaker Series
Rakhi Kundra’s ’17 ambition to make a positive impact on the world at large is evident through her involvement in worthy causes, both on and off-campus, including as a member of the Global Speakers Committee.
Rakhi is also co-editor of The Minuteman, co-president of Model UN, captain of the varsity tennis team, runs varsity track and field in the spring, and has volunteered with Succeed2gether, an organization that strives to address the academic achievement gap by providing academic enrichment and reinforcement to children from low-income households, for the past three years.
One of the recent Global Speaker Series presenters, Suzanne DiBianca, co-founder and president of Salesforce.com Foundation, challenged the student members of the Global Speaker Series Committee to research and select an organization to be the beneficiary of a charitable contribution from the Salesforce.com Foundation. This was a collaborative effort for the committee, who relished in the opportunity to make a direct impact in their community.
Rakhi discusses the impact Ms. DiBianca's presentation had on her and the Global Speaker Series Committee.
1. How have the Global Speaker Series impacted your perspective on the world?
Going to a small private school in New Jersey can be very sheltering but I have found that being on the Global Speaker Series Committee, as well as witnessing the work of the committee throughout my time at NA, has prevented me from losing my global sense of perspective. I’ve been exposed to speakers on very prominent social issues such as gender equality and racial equality and am now more aware of the variety of opinions and ideas that exist in the world. This series has definitely demonstrated to me that NA is a very globally minded school that is determined to not let its students forget that they are just a very small part of a huge global picture.
2. How did it feel to have an opportunity be part of a team effort to select the cause to donate too?
It was extremely empowering. For the first time, we [the Global Speaker Series Committee] had the power to make a decision that could have a real impact on people’s lives. It was exciting and motivating for me personally, because I got a little taste of what it is like to have the power to make a change, and I am determined to become an activist and advocate in the future.
3. How was the cause selected and why was the selected organization important to you?
The members of the Global Speaker Series Committee each proposed a charity to donate the money too, and then as a group, we all voted. The cause that I advocated – Suceed2gether – for won the vote. Suceed2gether is important to me because of the time that I have spent over the past three years volunteering during the school year and at the summer camp. I’ve developed sincere relationships with the children and feel a sense of commitment and responsibility to them. I even started a journalism program for the summer campers and taught them all about investigative writing and how to produce a camp newspaper.
4. Describe how you felt when the Global Speaker Series Committee gave the donation to Suceed2gether?
I was extremely proud when the committee decided to give the donation, on behalf of Ms. DiBianca, to Succeed2gether. I successfully stood up for an underrepresented cause and had finally been able to have a clear impact on the organization that I had worked with for so long.
5. How do you hope to inspire your peers to continue to make a difference in the world?
I want to continue to lead by example, showing my peers that no matter how small the action, we have the potential to positively influence someone’s life. It is important that my generation understands that we have access to an incredible amount of resources and it is our responsibility to step out of our comfort zones. We all have strong, powerful voices that deserve to be heard.
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