Hello everyone! My name is Ayesha Azad and I am currently a 4th year IDS Co-op student starting my placement in September. My placement location is one very close to my heart: India. I will be working at the Center for Research, Education and Social Transformation (CREST) in Kerala, India as an intern.
CREST is a research based institution which focuses on Dalit and Adivasi youth empowerment and increasing employability of such marginalized youth. My primary duties will be to work with the students of CREST and focus on soft-skills training. While there, I will also be conducting research. My current research scope of interest is to focus on the Dalit community, specific to young Dalit women and their experiences in the workforce, especially as graduate students.
Going to India for my co-op placement is an amazing opportunity. It is a country I have always wanted to visit growing up as I grew up watching Indian movies and shows. Now I get to take my childhood dream an extra step further and work in India, and within an organization whose research interests and work align with my own interests.
I would also like to thank everyone who has made this happen and am extremely grateful for the scholarships I have received to make this happen, as I am a recipient of the IDS Scholarship and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship. I hope to have a positive impact on the community I will be working with as well as learn from this experience. I am looking forward to this upcoming year in India and all the experiences which will come along with it. I look forward to sharing these experiences with everyone along the way.