When I was younger, I was not very good at communicating with others. I was shy and scared of what people would say about me. Their opinion of me meant so much. I lacked someone to share this with. Someone to guide me on how to overcome my insecurities.

I am Sangeeta Nayak. I’m 22 years old. I was born and brought up in Noida (U.P). I completed my class 10th from Lord Mahavira school and completed my class 12th from Modern school. Now I am pursuing an interior design degree from Amity University, in Noida. I have been fortunate to also complete internships in different companies during my summer breaks. This summer, I joined Scape design Consultants pvt. Ltd, a top architecture and interior design consulting firm in Noida. This has given me immense exposure to the industry and fed into my passion of becoming an interior designer

Through the Global Give Back Circle I have been able to go through my college program with no worries of lacking school fees. I have also learnt to utilize my skills in giving back. Education is important to me. I feel that through education, everyone will have an equal chance at making the world a better place. I am currently tutoring four pupils in my locality, who have been finding it a challenge to perform in class, as part of my Give Back Commitment. Through various workshops with the Global Give back Circle, I have learnt to maximize my time to achieve the highest impact. I have also found that it is helpful to choose a give back commitment that one enjoys. I enjoy teaching and interacting with children. They make living a little less serious with their joy and laughter. I have found myself also learning from them in creativity and compassion.
My journey as a beneficiary of the Global Give Back Circle, allowed me to meet my mentor, Chaitrali Limaye, who works at Microsoft in the US. She has been a great guide for me and a source of inspiration. She is the support system I needed to believe in myself and to be confident enough to speak my mind and not to worry of other people’s opinion of me. I have come to feel free to share just about anything with her because she has shown me I can trust her. It feels great to have a more experienced and accomplished woman as a friend. She is a constant reminder that I too, can get to where I want to be.
I am a stronger woman today, because of my journey as a member of the Global Give Back Circle. I am able to overcome many challenges in my life and I have a great mentor who is always there for me. I am about to complete my college degree. I would like to urge women to provide a support system for young girls like me. I am proof that mentorship changes perspective from a non-achievement and passive attitude to a more Proactive attitude. I have big dreams that I now believe I can achieve from my experience as a beneficiary of the Global Give Back Circle.

Deeksha was born and raised in Delhi and comes from a family of six. She completed high school at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Shastri Nagar, where she was a member of the basketball team as well as Debate Club. “I enjoyed my school days a lot, and I started tutoring in my free time to earn pocket money,” she recalls.

Deeksha understands too well what sacrifice and hard work means. Her family lost ownership of their small shop, which was the only source of income they had after Deeksha’s grandfather passed away. She juggled between studying and part-time jobs.

Early exposure to work made Deeksha very active in high school, and as a result, she earned an opportunity to continue on to university through a partnership between the Global Give Back Circle and the Magic Bus India Foundation. “Being a beneficiary has given me exposure and has helped me to grow in a better environment. Life skills training and the workshops have really been helpful throughout my tertiary. I also learnt a lot from interacting with other girls in the program,” she says.

As a beneficiary of the program, “I also learnt that money is not the only way to give back and that one can give back through time and talent. I found communication skills, self-awareness, technical skills and time management skills, very helpful. Linda Lockhart and Alumni from Global Give Back Circle Kenya were really supportive. They facilitated workshops, practiced new skills with us, and motivated us a lot. In 2016, I got a chance to deliver a speech at the U.S. Embassy in Delhi during the launch of the Global Give Back Circle – India program. It was an amazing experience and I’ve learnt a lot since,” she recalls.

As a beneficiary of the ‘Circle,’ Deeksha was matched with a mentor. “My mentor, Pooja, has been very instrumental in guiding me in university. She is very
helpful and is like a loving older sister to me. We communicate a lot, and she responds as fast as she can to my messages and emails despite her busy schedule. I appreciate that she makes time for me. She is a good listener and guides me through many of my life decisions and challenges. I have made wonderful relationships through this program that I believe will last forever. By having a mentor in my life, I was able to discuss matters to do with my studies which I  could not do with my family, since they lacked the experience and knowledge. My family and I are thankful that she came into my life,” says Deeksha.

Deeksha plans are to pursue a PhD outside India, for which she is currently working towards. She says, “Global Give Back Circle gives wings to girls which help them fly. I am one of the lucky girls who received those wings as a blessing. I am happy to be part of this program and I will always be a part of it.”

– Deeksha

My name is Yvette, I am from the country of a thousand hills, Rwanda. I am a second born in a family of six children. I am a graduate of Gashora Girls’ Academy of Science and Technology, where I took Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as my majors. When I first joined the Global Give Back Circle – Girls Guiding Government Program, during our first workshop, we wrote on the first page of our journals, “My Leadership Safari”, and vowed to take part in the development of women’s involvement in all aspects of leadership. That is when I realized that this would be an experience of a lifetime.

Later, I was matched with the most interesting, and inspiring mentor I have ever had; Mrs. Kathy. Mrs. Kathy has been very understanding, and supportive. She has inspired me. She listens to my ups and my downs, my struggles in academics, and always gives me the most motivating speeches. I always feel like Mrs. Kathy is more of a mother, an advisor, and most importantly, an inspiration to me. It gives me the zeal to work very hard and make her proud of me. I was voted to be the Global Give Back Circle – Girls Guiding Government Rwandan Team Leader. I use the leadership skills I gained in the program, to fulfill my duties and responsibilities to my best.

Since we were encouraged to give back to our community, I decided to make this a part of my life. I volunteer to teach tech-skills to primary schools around our community, since it was the biggest skill we lacked, yet the most essential one. We teach computer skills to over 100 students in the Gashora community. I also volunteered to take part in activities that were carried out during the national commemoration week. Such activities included, construction of houses for Genocide survivors, participating in the Walk to Remember, working with organizations that are responsible of taking care of Genocide survivors with mental disabilities, to mention but a few. I also committed to use the first salary that I will get in my gap year, to pay for insurance for five families in my community.

I want to major in Computer Engineering next year. I want to come back to Rwanda after my studies, and contribute to the development of my own country in areas of technology. Thanks to the Global Give Back Circle and my mentor, I have such a bright dream to achieve.

– Yvette