Mentor | Paloma Quadros
“I really loved the session where we shared our stories. It was sensitive and emotional. Yet, the session motivated me to believe that I was not alone in this. I am sure that I will share my experience at The Goa School with as many people as I can; because I wish that everyone can have the opportunity to experience this (The Goa School), especially girls like me.”
— From a thank you letter Karen wrote at the end of the contact program in September 2021.
More in Karen’s own words:
“Before going to The Goa School I wasn’t brave enough to face certain things in life. After attending The Goa School, I was able to face everything without fear. Attending The Goa School was the first time I had left my district. I was feeling enthusiastic, but also nervous to travel to a foreign city. The spellbinding change I went through was perseverance. I learnt to overcome my fears. Travelling to Goa, I faced my fears of leaving my home and got the opportunity to see what the outside world had in store. This exposure and positive experience completely erased my fear of leaving my home.
My passion is to become a reporter or a news presenter at BBC. After going to The Goa School, Ms. Madhuri helped me greatly to learn about this field. She gave me contacts to reach out to, so I could get more information on what I need to do, or how I would need to improve in order to become a news presenter. Before attending The Goa School, I was a student. But my degree is not equivalent to what my passion is, so I believed that I was not eligible to pursue this. However, Madhuri ma’am helped me a lot, and tried to change this.
Ms. Madhuri presented me (with) a camera. I am using it a lot and growing my skills in photography which is also something I love to do. I would take my camera, walk around, and take pictures frequently. Before, I never really did that. Her (Ms. Madhuri) gift really encouraged me to continue to pursue my love for photography.
I also want to add that the mentor system is really great. Paloma is my mentor and she helped me a lot to improve my knowledge and expertise. She has been with me for one year and has helped me develop many skills. Actually, she helped me with investigative journalism, and would encourage me to write a lot.
My last class at The Goa School was with Paloma ma’am. She was talking about sailing through uncertain waters. It means that uncertain times exist everywhere, but we have to overcome them. When things become uncertain, we have to have the courage to learn and give time to our priorities. So basically she talked about how we should not be afraid of uncertain things. I found that to be a really strong message that I will continue to remember.”
This storyboard is based on an interview conducted by Seher Arora, as part of her internship at The Goa School, in July 2022.