CAROLINE CARR

Whitman College, B.A., Religion

While at Whitman College, Caroline focused on the intersection of gender and religion. At Whitman, she received the Perry Research Award for research she conducted with her professor on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an international order of gay male nuns. During her coursework at Whitman, Caroline took a South Asian Religions course, where she discovered a  passion for the complexity and history of eastern religions, specifically Hinduism. After working in healthcare for two years after college, she moved to Jaipur, India, where she worked for a year as an English teacher at an NGO, The Tushita Foundation. At the Tushita Foundation, Caroline taught 3–16 year olds English, designing beginner English curriculum and developing several foundation projects, such as a mural in the village playground. Caroline now works as a third grade teacher in San Francisco, helping to design social justice and service learning curriculum to engage students in current events and issues in their communities. Caroline is beginner-proficient in Hindi. Next year, Caroline will be going back to school to receive her Master’s of Science in education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City.

NEERAV YADAV

Bhimrao Ambedkar University, B.A., Conservation

Neerav was born and raised in Rajasthan, India, and is passionate about wildlife (especially reptiles), conservation, and ecology. After college, he worked at Jan Chetna Sansthan, a non-governmental organization that focuses on rural livelihood, education, and women’s empowerment in the tribal villages of South Rajasthan. From Jan Chetna, Neerav moved to the Madras Crocodile Bank and Center for Herpetology, where he managed a residential volunteer program for Indian and international visitors at one of the premiere reptile zoos and wildlife education facilities in South Asia. He also assisted with zoo management, research, and documentary filmmaking. In 2012, he founded an ecological education and travel company, through which he has led student groups from the U.S. and India on programs in Rajasthan, Ladakh, South India, and Sri Lanka. Most recently, Neerav led a snow leopard expedition to Ladakh in which the group observed four snow leopards, wolves, ibexes, and Tibetan red fox in their natural habitat. He will be heading back to Ladakh again next year to spot snow leopards. Neerav is fluent in Hindi and English.