Shaheen is a true inspiration for those who effortlessly and selflessly do things for others, but somewhere fall weak due to no support received. Her success story will tell you how to keep going…
Name: Shaheen Mistri
D.O.B : March 16, 1971
Location: Mumbai, India
Profession: CEO, Teach For India
Website : teachforindia.org
Who is Shaheen Mistri?
Shaheen Mistri is popularly known as an educator and a social activist. She is the founder and CEO of Teach for India. She is also a founder of the Akansha Foundation. Shaheen has been serving the role of a CEO to Teach for India since, 2008.
Shaheen is a Parsi family. She was born in Mumbai and raised in an international standard. This amazing lady has experienced her life in various countries right from her childhood. Some of the countries she has stayed and visited include, The United States, Greece, Lebanon, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.
One of the reasons of shifting to different countries a several times was due to her father’s profession, who was a senior banker with Citigroup. Shaheen attended a boarding school in Connecticut. After moving to India for higher education, she decided to take up BA degree in Sociology, St. Xavier’s College affiliated with University of Mumbai.
She also obtained a Master in Education, University of Manchester. It was Shaheen’s keen interest for imparting education in children that made her launch Akansha foundation. She has voluntarily been a teacher for many organizations in Mumbai, such as School for the Blind, Happy Home, and E.A.R. school for the Hearing Impaired.
When Shaheen was during her college period, she expressed the willingness to teach the underprivileged children of the streets. This is one of the reasons her career took the first step by opening a non-profit organization for children, which was Akansha Foundation. Initially, she started with 15 students at her foundation, today, the center teaches 3,500 students in 58 centers and 6 schools.
It was during summers, when she took up a leadership role at Teach For India. The organization deals with most promising college students and young professionals of India, who teach in low-income schools and make efforts to bridge the educational gap in the country. Apart from performing as a CEO to this company, Shaheen also attend the Board meetings of Ummeed and Thermax Social Initiatives Foundation. Moreover, she is an advisor to the Latika Roy Foundation.
To talk about her family, Shaheen has two cute daughters and is enjoying a cordial family life.
Achievements and Rewards:
Shaheen Mistry deserves much more than these rewards. I hope the Government comes ahead more often to support such people, who are taking efforts to make a Better India.
- She has enjoyed publishing her work, Redrawing India – The Teach For India Story
- Shaheen was honored with Ashoka Fellow award, 2001
- She attained the title of Global Leader for Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum, 2002
- Also received the honor of Asia Society 21 Leader, 2006.
What Inspires Us From Shaheen Mistri’s Success Story?
We often do things for our own children and family. We strive, struggle, and slog ourselves days and nights for our children. Aren’t we all doing the same thing for our family? What’s so special or unusual about it? Why do we still feel some emptiness in our heart? Perhaps, it is because we somewhere lack peace of mind. That peace of mind comes to people like Shaheen Mistri when she does things for others’ children.
She has wonderful thoughts of helping the slum and street children in receiving education. Educated India will only help us to develop faster and live on zero dependency with the foreign countries. Her calm nature, clear thoughts, and clean soul are all the important elements that one needs to live a peaceful life. Shaheen feels satisfied when she sees the children thanking her for imparting the knowledge in them.
I really respect her motives of life. It is the cycle of Karma that we all are living in. If you throw flowers in the air, you get flowers in return; however, if you throw pebbles, you get pebbles returned on your face. Thus, by securing the future of these children, Shaheen Mistry is securing her kids’ future too through their blessings. I guess that is what we all crave for. Irrespective of how much money you have in your bank accounts, if you don’t have a sound sleep in your bed, it is worthless… Think wise and act nice.
