Indian American teenager makes a difference.
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By Zenobia Khaleel
SAN FRANCISCO: It’s been a hectic year for Sri Muppidi. Wrapping up senior year, college applications, clarinet practice, graduation, with a trip to the United Nations, a visit to Oman on a cultural exchange program, and a Tanzanian expedition to install a water retention system thrown in to spice up the mix.
Seventeen-year-old Muppidi enjoys the same interests of any typical teenager, friends, music and rom-coms, among other things. But her consuming passion is social welfare, and she will travel half the world to make a difference in someone else’s life.
A student of Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, California, Muppidi has been aptly described as a powerhouse of energy. She is engaged in a number of service activities in school and the community. She is a Girl Scout, served as the co-president of the school’s DECA chapter, and as a Bank of America Student Leader. She interned for Congressman Jerry McNerney, and is a part of Amador Valley’s award-winning team, We the People.
In between Graduation on Friday, and travel to Oman on Sunday, Muppidi called me up during school recess to fill me in on all her accomplishments of her eventful life.
Muppidi made national headlines recently when she was named one of “Ten national young women of distinction for 2013” by the Girl Scout Council of America. A title contested by hundreds of gold award nominees throughout the nation and judged on basis of their Gold Award projects which made measurable and sustainable difference in the lives of others. Her project titled “The magic of Maji,” entailed organizing an African cultural awareness fair in the Bay Area, replete with dance, music and choir groups, art exhibits, food and speakers to raise money to build a rain water retention system in Bukoba, Tanzania.
Muppidi and her father Praveen worked through Global Citizens Network, a nonprofit Organization, and travelled to Bukoba to get the project rolling. They installed a water retention system for a woman’s corporation. The system, which collects and stores rain water, is the only source of clean accessible water in the rural villages during the dry spells in the region. While they were at it, they also built a community goat pen.
Muppidi’s source of inspiration for the African development project was her cousin Prassanna’s volunteering experience at an African refugee camp. It motivated her to push her boundaries for a greater good.
The African exposure was a huge culture shock at first for Muppidi, who was incredibly nervous and had to push back mind blocks about genocide and poverty, when she began her journey.
“There’s poor and then there’s African poor…they have to walk for miles with heavy buckets to get water. They may not have food for the night, access to medical care, or a stable shelter. They have no idea if they’ll even make it to the next day,” Muppidi recalls.
But connecting with the people, especially the workers at the Women’s corporation, she was amazed by the tenacity shown by the women in their quest for education and basic necessities.
The cultural similarities with India also helped her feel more at home. “We have similar food, even a love for Bollywood. I picked up quite a bit of Swahili,” says Muppidi.
Muppidi defines working on the Magic of Maji as a life-altering incident. For her, the most promising outcome of the project is that by creating awareness in her local community, she empowered the community to make a difference on an international level. It has also been a source of personal enrichment.
“I’ve gained a lot of skills,” she says. “I’ve figured out how to make contacts, formulate plans, push towards the goal… and branch out from my own little bubble. It’s really enlightening to see how people can help each other.”
Muppidi’s African stint has shaped her worldview considerably. Being a direct witness to the stark living conditions, limited educational prospects and restricted privileges has given her a newfound respect for the boundless opportunities she has received here in the United States. It has strengthened her resolve to channel her resources to improve the lives of those who’re deprived of the same.
Come fall, Muppidi will join Stanford University to study international relations and political science. She hopes to work for the U.S. State Department and become a diplomat someday. Currently, Muppidi is a teen advisor of Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, through which she raises awareness for issues close to her heart like child marriage and women’s education for some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.
She participated in the United Nation’s first International Day of the Girl Child, where she was part of a panel comprising of U.N. officials such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Muppidi envisions a world where girls have an equal opportunity to be educated, safe, healthy and positioned to be future leaders and she strives to do her part in making their dreams achievable.
(Zenobia Khaleel has donned a lot of hats; writer, photographer, travel enthusiast, troop leader, amateur actor, event coordinator, and community volunteer, but predominantly goes by the title Mom.)
To contact the author, e-mail: zenobiakhaleel@americanbazaaronline.com
1 Comment
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