confidence

I have been managing IREX’s Tech Age Girls (TAG) project for several years and the transformation that happens in the participants in the short period of 5-6 month continues to inspire me. TAG is a unique project because it uses technology as a means of developing leadership, sense of volunteerism, and confidence in high school girls.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my first trip to the Soviet Union. Actually it was my first trip anywhere across the Atlantic or Pacific oceans for that matter. I had been fortunate to attend a public high school in New York with a Russian language program which later inspired me to major in Russian studies in college. I came from a family of modest financial means, but realized early on if I wanted to make a go of Russian, I would need to spend some time on the ground. So, I sacked away all my summer job funds to join a study abroad program.

It’s not often that my work at IREX intersects with the Sundance Film Festival. Yet on September 24th, “Waiting for Superman,” a film about problems plaguing the American education system will hit theatres. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning director of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the film garnered the Audience Choice award at Sundance this year. Notably, it situates American schools in an international context.