Katy Lifestyles and Homes Magazine Feb 2010: Teen with Desire to Improve Lives Made it Happen

By Cindy Ziervogel

Abhishek Garg was only 14 when he conceived an idea to visit India. It wasn’t just any trip, but then again Abhishek isn’t just any kid. He wasn’t looking for something to do to ease summer boredom, instead he wanted to work. To teach, actually.

Abhishek spent months planning the details of his trip to India to teach English to underprivileged kids, but has spent a lifetime being passionate about helping others. Last summer during the month of July, Abhishek, who is fluent in Hindi, taught at the Prerna School in Delhi, India.

“I’m always volunteering. I had been thinking about doing something like this for quite some time. I called several organizations to find out how I could make a difference, ” said Abhishek, a sophomore at Seven Lakes High School. “I’m passionate about education, and teaching English to underprivileged kids in India is very important. It ’s a way for them to get a good job. It is necessary.”

So Abhishek, his mother, Deepali, and 10-year-old brother, Aditya, embarked on a month-long journey. His dad, Himanshu, stayed behind. It had been four years since Abhishek had been to India and he was looking forward to it.

Each day, Abhishek’s mother took him to the school on public transport. He spent each day teaching about 90 kids. The students were divided into two classes. Most of them had not been exposed to English. But soon after his arrival, the students, some very close to his own age, were helping and encouraging one another. By the time their teacher was ready to return to America, the students could speak simple English sentences, and more importantly, they gained an interest in learning more.

“The atmosphere in the

classroom was amazing,” he said. “The students had a desire to learn and I was determined to teach them.”

They greeted him everyday with a big smile. When he was about to leave, they wrote him letters of thanks.

Abhishek designed lesson plans to implement songs, games and group work; he built their confidence and made class more enjoyable. He taught phonetics; vocabulary including the names of animals, fruits, vegetables and body parts; simple essays; sentence structure; word building; verb tenses; and conversations in English.

One day, Abhishek brought in an Indian newspaper written in English. With just a little help, he had a student read an article out loud. It surprised Abhishek just how much interest the students took in the paper. He guessed most of the class had never seen a newspaper before.

Another student, one of the older ones, read an essay in English in front of the class.

“The staff was ebullient with my efforts and the atmosphere I created in the class. They were very happy that I was passionate about making a difference in the world. ”

The experience Abhishek gained from his journey was empowering.

“It was a very rewarding

experience. It is great to know that I made a difference in the children’s lives.”

And he plans to keep on giving. Maybe to Prerna School again or somewhere else. One thing he knows for sure is that he plans to keep on helping. In college, he plans to major in engineering. Abhishek may not know all the details of how he’ll do it or where just yet, but using his passion, experience and technical skills, his long –term goal includes a lifetime of improving the lives of those in need.

“Helping people is something one can do at any time with any profession.”

The young teen who has a knack for making his ideas happen is off to a good start, already having taught nearly 100 kids halfway around the world. And they in turn are off to a good start, having an opportunity to learn English and increase their chances for a good job.

“I gave them something. I gave them a gift.”l