Meera, a Senior Manager at Cognizant, has taken her knowledge of technology and used it in an innovative way that might surprise you-- inspiring students to love learning. As a mentor “Citizen Teacher” Meera opened the door to new skills and dreams for students who might not have otherwise had that experience. In the spirit of the season of giving, we want to take this time to recognize people like Meera, and partners like Cognizant, who give so much of their time, resources, and passion, to the mission of providing students with the skills, access, and beliefs they need to be successful.

Meera said, “I strongly believe that the best asset and power we can give to our kids is education. It’s very gratifying to teach something you know to kids, and inevitably you will always come out of the classroom learning something new as well.”

During one of her apprenticeship classes while teaching the students how to build and program robots, Meera opened up the world of engineering. Previously an unfamiliar career choice to the class, Meera recalled the incredible moment when a student told her that he wanted to go to college to pursue engineering. She said, “If we are able to open up the world and give students a peek into how exciting their futures can be, that is how I would define success.”

Helping students attain those moments of discovery and viewing service as part of success is what makes Meera and her fellow mentors such incredible leaders in the community. At Citizen Schools, we want to say a sincere thank you to our volunteers like Meera and encourage you to join them in connecting students to their dreams.