As the start date for my trip to India inches closer, my excitement continues to build. This summer, I will be working with Atma, an organization that serves as an accelerator for education NGOs in Mumbai and Pune. During my time with Atma, I will work to research what makes some educational programs more successful than others, specifically within the context of India. My journey with Atma began while I was looking at various organizations specializing in education, and I soon found that the firm’s structure very well matches my future career interests. The organization’s volunteer system allows students to take on positions similar to that of a project manager, a role I hope to take on in the consulting realm as a full time career. As a result, the program seemed like a perfect fit, and to give back to Atma for such a great opportunity, I would like to help them develop a tool that measures the success of educational programs through research on various past projects.

For the duration of the internship, I’ll be working and living in the Pune area. While my exact housing arrangements are undecided, I hope to be in the downtown area or near Koregaon Park. The area is home to a college campus, and thus will be an interesting experience around students of many different cultures based in an Indian setting.

I’m incredibly excited to depart and start my journey, but with so many unknowns around my housing arrangements, my flights, and even the status of my internship visa, there’s also a lot to plan. I look forward to making more final arrangements and hopefully getting on a plane to Pune by mid May!