The curious dream of Roopa Reddy- a Doctor who codes!

Roopa is a multi-talented girl who joined our tribe as a part of the Young Minds for Future Program in December 2021(Phase One). The Young Minds for Future Program is a fun-filled 3-week journey wherein students from public schools across India get a chance to interact with each other and acquire critical socio-emotional skills along with digital learning tools. YMF aims to nourish curious minds like Roopa to help them realise their potential and pursue their dreams unfazed. 

Roopa completed Phase one, and upon graduation, we spoke to her about the experience of the program. Here’s how the conversation went: 

Can you tell us about yourself and your school?

My name is Roopa Reddy, and I am currently studying in Class 9 at GBHS Himayathnagar Amberpet in Hyderabad. I have an elder sister and two younger brothers. I am also a student with the Inqui-lab Foundation and Teach for India, with the help of which I got an opportunity to explore new things beyond academics. My father is a farmer, and my mother is a housewife. My parents encourage us to study more to pursue our dreams and make them proud. 

How was your experience of the Young Minds for Future program?

I was very excited for the Young Minds for Future Program as I was earlier part of the TribesforGOOD initiative. I had already learnt about Google Workspace tools like Google slides and Google docs. While working on my science projects, we had to make presentations where my team used these tools to work together. Hence, I was comfortable and familiar with them. During the course, Ajay bhaiya helped us implement our ideas better. He would make us do tasks which was a good practice.

How do you think you could use the learning from the classes?

For our graduation, my team and I made a presentation on Traffic Safety as we felt it was a social issue closer to us. We thought this would be an excellent platform to create awareness about basic traffic rules, dangers of violation of the same and some dos and donts which would guide everyone. We could refine our presentation pitch based on what we learned in class. I realised I also became more confident speaking in public and answering questions. Above all, I enjoyed working with my friends and learning from others in the class.

Can you tell us more about new things you explored while at school?

I love science! I love coding! I like approaching things from a problem-solving perspective. Along with my friends from school, I created a website, ‘Math Self-Assessment Rubric’, using Scratch language, which enables students to solve math quickly. We made use of Canva for making templates for the same. We even trained a few of our classmates on how to make websites using scratch language, after which they also did different projects to exhibit at the science fair. We were helped immensely by the guidance of our teachers and mentors. 

Very interesting! Did you also exhibit your project at the science fair?

 For the science fair, we made a Boiling milk overflow prevention system to reduce the wasting of milk in the kitchen. The prototype was simple. A liquid sensor attached to the top of the vessel would activate the buzzer when it comes in contact with the boiling milk. The buzzer would then alert a house member to stop the heat supply before it overflows.

What are your hobbies?

I love reading books. Recently, I  read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. It is one of the bestsellers of the year. I want to improve myself and learn new things constantly. I think the book helps me do exactly that. It helped me build better habits like waking up early and having a good routine to manage different activities. My favourite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo. It is an inspirational story about following one’s dreams wholeheartedly.

Who is your role model?

APJ Kalam Sir. I can relate to Kalam, sir. He also comes from a simple middle-class family, yet he became the President of India. His life is an inspiration for me. As the president, he was expected to undertake so many important works and do too many things at a time; only a disciplined person could do that. I wish to be able to manage my studies and extracurriculars like him. He would spend hours learning math and working on his projects as a scientist with a single-minded focus and dedication. I also want to pursue my dream like him passionately. My mother is also a massive admirer of Kalam sir. 

“Be active! Take on responsibility! Work for the things you believe in. If you do not, you are surrendering your fate to others.”

-Dr. A.P.J Kalam

You’d be in Class 10 this year. What are your plans after the Board Exams?

I want to be a doctor. It is my dream. Coding is something that I am interested in too. I am not tied to one thing. I’d be a doctor who codes. I would pursue science after Class 10 and then Medical. I want to service society and help people. Eventually, I would love to be a social entrepreneur, solve problems with the help of science.

The Young Minds for Future program exposes the students to dynamic real-world learning and helps build self-awareness and confidence. Tribes for Good is always looking to partner with non-profits who want to run this program for their students. You can write to us at mandeep@tribesforgood.com.