Last week, I took a 15-hour flight to Jaipur, India, where I will spend the rest of the summer supporting rural development programs at the Ambuja Foundation. My LiA is split between two projects in sustainability and education.

For my first project, I’m helping the agriculture team analyze sustainable soil initiatives. Interventions such as organic inputs, crop diversification, and water management have been implemented across India. The team has measured parameters like pH and conductivity to monitor the progress of each intervention. By analyzing existing datasets, connecting with field staff, and interviewing farmers, I’m developing a framework for Ambuja to evaluate the success of each intervention.

The second project fits into Ambuja’s professional training program, AU Ignite. This program provides marginalized youth with a platform for skills development and job placement. I’m working on creating a soft skills curriculum. An essential component of this project is direct classroom engagement, which I’ve started this week.

The class I’m working with is graduating soon and is currently preparing for job interviews. In this photo, I’m helping edit their resumes and conduct practice interviews. Both the students and staff at AU Ignite have been very welcoming, and I'm looking forward to continuing to work with them throughout the summer.