"…working with volunteers, teachers and students…is one of those opportunities that you look back on in life and say 'I was so lucky!' "

---

Indira Pallinti

Born in Chennai (Madras) India, 1974
Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Mechanical Engineering

Anna University, Chennai, 1995

M.S., in Mechanical Engineering

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1997

Field of work

SEED Volunteers, Learning While Doing

Areas of interest outside work

Classical Dance, Yoga, Decorative painting, stained glass and pottery

I was born in India on Jan 22, 1974 in an economically modest family. My father always believed that Education was the stepping-stone to success. Accordingly, my parents did everything they could to make sure that me and my two sisters had all the opportunities. Fortunately, we all turned out to be studious and interested in studies, all through school and college. Our parents’ efforts really paid off.

I went to the University to get a degree in Mechanical Engineering, since Engineering was one of the high paying “successful” jobs in the country. I enjoyed several aspects of Engineering, especially the practical hands-on exercises. Deep inside, I think I still have my forefathers’ strong genetics of farmers and toolmakers.

Upon finishing my Bachelor’s, like any “good Indian kid”, I applied to go to Graduate school in the U.S. I got admitted into Cornell and that brought me to lovely Ithaca, NY. Master’s at Cornell was an interesting experience, I learnt a lot, more about Life than about Mechanical Engineering. I graduated in 1997 and moved to Sugar Land, TX to work for Schlumberger. I met my husband, Dhananjay, at Schlumberger, soon after moving to TX and we got married couple of years later.

I worked in Engineering for about 4 years and then my passion for working with people took over. I joined the Human Resources group as the Recruiting and Training Coordinator. It was a tremendously enriching experience. It was the job of my dreams!

Speaking of dreams, I was volunteering for SEED while I was with the HR group. It gave me an opportunity to meet several people on the SEED team. When I completed my stint in HR, I decided to really go after my dream of making a difference in the world. The best part of the deal was that I was getting paid to do that, through a position in the SEED team. This is really what dreams are made of.

I started the Collaborative Projects program in SEED and worked with schools worldwide to facilitate communication amongst school children. It was such a fantastic experience. I still cherish the friendships and exposure I had while I was in that job.

After a brief stint in Marketing, I am back working for SEED. It is such a wonderful honor to be in SEED again, working with volunteers, teachers and students. It is one of those opportunities that you look back on in life and say “I was so lucky!”. We all have such short lives to live on this earth, we might as well spend it enjoying ourselves and helping others enjoy theirs.

On a personal note, we have a son, Ananth, who was born in July 2004. He is our passion, whom we like to spend every single waking (sometimes sleepy) moment with. Before I had him, I was dabbling in a few hobbies like decorative painting, stained glass, pottery, classical dancing and yoga. Some day, I hope to pick these up again. For now, I am blissfully spending my days, working for SEED and when I am not working, being a MOM!