“The best way to predict your future is to create it”, is the quote that keeps me inspired irrespective of the task I take up. I was born and brought up in an orthodox yet educated family. My father was a banker and my mom a housewife. I admire them not as my parents alone, but for the values they instilled in me and my sisters.
I was a studious kid, actively engaged and occupied with my books, to the extent that my mom used to scold me for the time I spent with them. Little did I know, that I would take it up as my career. I pursued Masters in Microbiology; dreaming of a career in R&D. But destiny was different. Life offered me a new path which I took up as a challenge. I started teaching Biology to students of grades 9 and 10 at one of the leading corporate schools. My personal self-taught approach in the field of education gave me a new insight into teaching and I decided that my profession would be linked with teaching and learning. I worked intensively on improving literacy skills in my students and demonstrated high growth in student learning outcomes. I set up a new goal so that I can teach, conduct research within the classroom, and make a contribution to the improvement of education, and in the process accomplished a Bachelor’s degree in Education in 2014, after my younger daughter was born. In due course, I worked with different publications and e-learning companies where I had an opportunity to interact and work with stellar people in the field of education.
Over the past fifteen years, my journey towards this goal has been direct at best. It has carried me through many schools and multiple states, presenting opportunities to work within every grade from kindergarten. Ideas such as integrating technology and education, developing curricula, lesson study model, and others provided the chance for me to focus on my goal.
After working in different positions, along with my husband, I started an entrepreneur education initiative, Master Brains, which deals with the development, design and publishing kindergarten books. I was a part of curriculum development, various academic programs, providing content-based instruction and teaching methodology, training, and orientations to teachers and supported the school team.
As an educator, facilitator, and a teacher’s teacher, I was to continually make decisions that positively impact student learning and this decision-making process includes the ideas and lessons learned from educational research, ranging from curricular choices to classroom management, to assessment strategies, to choices of presentation.
I conducted several online and offline sessions and trained hundreds of teachers, especially in rural areas. I found immense happiness in shaping the mindset of teachers to lean towards active learning, who would directly mold the little children in the prime years of their life.
As part of my entrepreneurial journey, I also ventured into two other startups – Local Basket, a super mart, and Little’s Academy – a franchise model preschool.
Although all of these have given me a satisfying life balance, I had just actually felt ready to move on to the next phase, not just career-wise, but to contribute to society. Being your own boss has many perks, but becoming a successful entrepreneur demands creativity, innovation, and a strong execution strategy. My new goal was to obtain skills in strategy and business development at an international standard. So, I decided to pursue a degree to become a better business strategist with a strong sense of initiative and enterprise. I went back to student life to study MBA at Brunel University, London simultaneously working as a part-time functional skills tutor and volunteered at the British Heart foundation.
As part of my job, I worked with immigrants from various countries, Ukraine in particular, which made me think about the importance of empathy. Now, I am about to bring Happy to Chat movement started by one of my professors in the UK, to India with an aim to create awareness that we are not alone.
With the experience gained, I am now mentoring enthusiastic entrepreneurs, Epitome, a design studio being one. I am venturing into edtech with Active Learn, with a motto to empower education through technology. Dear women, believe in your abilities, embrace your passion, and defy the odds. Starting a business may seem daunting, but you have the power to create, lead, and succeed. Trust yourself, take risks, and let your brilliance shine. The world needs your unique contributions. Go for it!”
– Sumana Rani, Entrepreneur, Education Facilitator