Sreedevi Sridharan : Succeeding with patience and perseverance

Sreedevi Sridharan

Process Lead & CSR Volunteer

While being a volunteer can be a fulfilling experience, it does require a certain amount of commitment and perseverance to go through the journey. I have been quite lucky to learn this lesson through the various volunteering initiatives that I have been involved in through CGI’s CSR initiatives. CGI is actively engaged in creating and sustaining talent through different education programs and by collaborating with institutions around the globe.

In the recent past, CGI along with one of its CSR partners initiated a program to teach English as a language to teenage kids from underprivileged background. I was extremely excited to share my learnings and experiences with the young group at first. However, I had a rough start as it was quite challenging to establish a rapport with the children on the one hand; on the other hand, I was dealing with personal issues which made the situation even more difficult. But, I decided not to give up instead go through the situation one day at a time.

Over a period of a few weekends, my team and I turned things around to win the hearts of the students and saw better involvement from them in the learning process. It was indeed a remarkable turnaround. With patience and perseverance not only was I able to become a mentor to the young children, but was also able to get through the personal challenges as well.