What matters to me most and why?

Building Raay Education

"I know you had to go Dada as you have more souls to touch, train and most importantly love. But, I do hope our paths cross again. I would be lucky to have you in any way, shape or form in any life. Dada, I will always love you. Yours truly, Radio."

My grandfather's nickname for me was Radio. He believed I could chat non stop. It wasn’t a far cry away from reality - I genuinely can. A room full of strangers, a new school, a formal dinner or even an Uber pool ride - I can easily connect with those that are different than me. On his passing away he told me never to change my curiosity for life. Perhaps, the best thing he instilled in me was to have an education outside of school. His mantra was to learn as much about the world from the resources I had. In hindsight, I have started Raay Education with that mission- to create the kind of internship ecosystem we would want for ourselves - one that behaves like a mentor in the family. 

For the most part of my college years I worked several jobs as an intern. I worked at a variety of companies from a video production house to an interior design firm and even a technology company! Living in New York I was exposed to the real world from early on. Parsons, The New School of Design taught me that everything is not black and white, in fact life is like the spectrum of the rainbow. As opposed to a one dimensional view of the world from school, I was suddenly engaging with a multitude of personalities that not only helped me discover myself, but changed my view of the world too. 

I chose to shut down my jewellery design studio, and shifted my focus to build Raay. This could be function of the fact that my deep driving desire was always to help people. When I discussed with my husband "why" I was building Raay Education, I realized it because of my love for people, for conversations, for spreading joy by connecting others for personal growth. Perhaps, then, what matters to me most is love for engaging with others and the love for sharing my knowledge and network. I wouldn’t be able to start this company without having a strong network close to me that pushed my personal growth too. 

For a while before I started Raay, family and friends had always approached me to ask about startups, leaders and mentors. When I noticed that my education in design actually aided my emotional intelligence for a career in counseling, I began doing it more. Slowly, students from all walks of life began to approach me. What delighted the students was the personal attention I gave as a counsellor to the process of searching for an internship. It was about understanding what drives them, which areas do they want to learn about and what will help them in their career trajectory. The parents of these students were also comforted with the fact that I spoke to the students with patience and empathy. 

As I continue to build Raay Education, a boutique internship consultancy the words of Ji Lee, a Parsons alum, echo in my head. He said “personal and professional projects compliment each other, try create personal projects that allow you to build a platform not just for yourself, but others too, sharing is rewarding.”