For children who come to India for academics, schools and colleges play a huge impact on them and help them with a perspective of the entire nation. Those classrooms, playgrounds, prayer halls, peers, educators become their guides who not just help them to grow academically but tell them about a nation’s culture, heritage, history and so many other things.

Our almuna of class of 2013, Oakridger Srihita Bongu, spent her early childhood in the USA. Presently she is based in San Francisco, California, working as a product manager at an organisation called Bind. Immensely interested in Economics and Chemistry, Srihita now helps build and maintain apps which consumers use to understand and operate their health insurance benefits.

During her days in Oakridge, she was a charming student filled with confidence and leadership qualities. She was a founding member of our Green Rangers club which worked towards organizing park runs to raise awareness around the importance of preserving green spaces in our cities. She also helped organize the first MUN conference as a committee chair and participated in other schools’ conferences as well.

While recollencing all her Oakridge memories, nostalgic Srihita said, “Not only were these a ton of fun activities but they also helped me build key communication and collaboration skills.’’

During her Oakridge days, she was engaged in community services. The experiences of teaching at underprivileged schools, volunteering at medical camps instilled a passion of service in her.
Srihita studied at Oakridge International School, Gachibowli for four years. The experiences she gained here were never restricted to academics and helped her to develop her life-skills through a journey filled with fun, joyous activities and much more.

Srihita conveyed a very sweet and precious message for her junior Oakridgers. She said, “Enjoy your precious time being a full-time student! Every single course you take or club you join does not have to be a proof point for your overall career. Your coursework and extracurriculars will help you grow as a person and maybe help you discover what makes you tick. As an undergrad, don’t lose the opportunity to tap into the academic network of your college/university and learn from some really smart people. They will definitely teach you a lot even if it may not seem immediately relevant.’’

Srihita is a bright example to how holistic development in a student can hone their life-skills and help them to stay curious, inquisitive, creative and life-ready.