OIS Visit- Taha

Upon arriving in Hyderabad, India after a span of four years, I was immediately drawn to visit my old stomping grounds -- Oakridge International School. While I spent only a meager two years at OIS, I had left with a treasure chest of foundational ideas and near-unforgettable memories. Visiting school after such a long time was a rather surreal experience, especially since it has mushroomed from a few disparate buildings into a sprawling, somewhat bewildering campus. The growth in bricks and structures was matched by an astounding growth in the number of students and faculty. What was once a humble IB Diploma Program, consisting of 15 students, had now turned into a mechanized arrangement of colossal proportions, and it was quite astounding to witness such growth.
As I stood near the football field, I took a moment and delighted in recalling the small joys of assembly time, while the words of former Principal Janajit Ray echoed through my conscience -- "where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...” Meeting my old teachers further evoked memories of my exploits, especially when they inquired of my métier. As I started describing my undergraduate and graduate studies, I began connecting the dots, and soon realized how seminal my schooling at OIS had been on my subsequent college career and my current research interests. I now fully appreciate the Community, Action and Service (CAS) aspect of the IB Diploma Program, which challenged us to look beyond our immediate comforts, thus directing our attention to the problems that plague societies around the world. This embodied in me an interest in utilizing interdisciplinary approaches to the world's problems, whether they be management, policy or of an altogether different nature.
Pursuant to an interest in exploring how collaboration between different sectors of the economy, and public participation in public policy and public administration leads to enhanced democratic processes, I am currently a doctoral student at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Joining SPEA's acclaimed PhD program in Public Affairs was not a chance occurrence. Throughout my years at Oakridge, I, along with my peers, was encouraged to consider the bigger picture, and explore problems and issues in a global context. This initial exposure fully developed my intellectual capacity and interests and has fueled my current research interests, and has perhaps become my sole reason for embarking on a PhD. As such, I owe a large part of my outlook on public affairs and policy to the kind of environment I was exposed to during my high school years at Oakridge. This would have been quite impossible without the guidance and support of my teachers at Oakridge, and I owe them a debt of gratitude for their teaching and understanding. Further, I would like to thank and express my sincere thanks to the OIS Alumni Association, especially Sindura Pudota, for facilitating my visit to school.