Connecting and Interacting with Visiting Speakers – On Varied Streams and Career Options

The previous post in this mini-series focused on visitors at Jyotirmay International School speaking to our students on technicalities of applying to foreign universities and colleges. The current post features guests who have added an element of fun, excitement and integrity to their chosen professions. With this stream of our Global Connect sessions, the aim is to introduce the children to new avenues for careers.

Dr. K.P. as popularly known to our students and faculty

But first, there have been many success stories on the Indian Education scene too of well-known figures in the business and service fields. Our faculty member, Dr Krishna Pradeep, a medical professional who has taken a hiatus to teach science and be with our students, gave first hand information while describing his personal success story.

This interactive session briefed students about what is involved in seeking entry to a medical school. Using a Prezi presentation for the technical aspects, he spiced up his talk up with personal sharing which hooked the children's interest. Dr Krishna shared real life experiences, his perceptions and his feelings on what it takes to be not just a doctor, but a "good" doctor. In spite of the many years of dedicated study which equates to hard labour, he said that at the end of the day, it was the “patients that make or break you”. As such, one can consider that they got an A grade when their practice continued to flourish and succeed. Asked what his greatest fear was, he answered "losing a patient" but added that time is the greatest teacher and healer.

Another guest speaker who connected fabulously with our students was Dr Chihiro Koiso, from Japan, who visibly enjoys her profession. Associated with India, specifically Pune, and its culture for the past 30 years having done her PhD on Indian Philosophy, she has authored two books in Japanese on Indian Food Culture and another one on Indian culture, along with her archaeologist husband Dr Manabu Koiso. 

Dr Chihiro Koiso with her daughter Maho on her right

Ms Koiso, who visited us on 14^th August along with her daughter Maho, in connection with her latest research project on Indian food culture, surprised the children with her familiarity with Indian and especially Maharashtrian cuisine as enjoyed in Pune! 

Collecting data for her research, Ms Koiso connected excellently with the children focusing her questions on their favourite food including eating out. In return, our students got to ask questions about Japanese cuisine, the unique ingredients and food related customs like the 'tea ceremony'; in fact, the fun-filled interactive session turned into a cultural information exchange. 

In an Aero Modelling workshop conducted by Wing Commander Ajit Sapre, our children thoroughly enjoyed learning about airplanes. 

Wing Commander Sapre had all eyes on him

With child-friendly diction and simplified physics concepts, he had a captivated audience who eagerly joined him in constructing paper planes – an even more fun-filled activity followed with paper planes flying all over the Multi-Purpose Hall! Wing Commander Sapre has promised to come back with more workshops in the future.

Gleeful children hailing the trajectory of paper planes!

Journalism is a much talked about career option. To enlighten our children, Ms Kirti Pandey, a senior journalist and the Head of Research for the DoQ project of ‘The Quint’ was invited to Jyotirmay on September 1^st, 2015. ‘The Quint’ is an online portal which makes hard news easy and offers a modern, sharp take on the world, guiding readers through topics ranging from politics, policy and entertainment, to sports, business, food and everything else that matters.

Before her current position, Ms Pandey was the Chief Copy Editor of the Sunday Guardian, a Senior Copy Editor of INX News X TV, Associate Producer for Headlines Today and she has also worked with Network 18.

During her talk at Jyotirmay, Ms Pandey took the children through her personal journey which spanned from a regular job in the Railways to hard core journalism. She asked the children about their plans for the future and even gave them tips on reading material, such as The Diary of Anne Frank, A Pale Blue Dot, A Brief History of Time; documentaries like The American Experience and concepts like The Arrow of Time.

Stressing that hard work and ethics are very important if one wants to succeed in life, she said, “a good leader takes the whole team along.” To quote one of our students, “Ms Kirti Pandey was a wealth of information”, with her talk combining technicalities of journalism with stories and experiences besides advice on varied subjects.

These interactive sessions gave students at Jyotirmay International School a wide and vast exposure and we hope that they helped in broadening the horizons for their future.