My name is Shivani Ayalasomayajula and I will be a junior at Cupertino High School this fall. I helped start Project LINC during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school. I decided to be a part of the project after listening to my friend and partner Pallavi Rajan’s experience working on a similar project four years ago. I heard about Pallavi’s project as a Global Ambassador for One Million Lights a few years after I met her in 2012. 

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        A few months ago I was talking to Pallavi about her experience working with One Million Lights in India and she asked me if I would be interested in working on a similar volunteer project with her again this summer. I have always been interested in volunteering somewhere outside of America and without much hesitation we began Project LINC.

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        From a very young age I decided that as an adult I wanted to do something that would benefit the lives of people on a personal level. I’m currently part of the El Camino Hospital Junior Auxiliary and I volunteer at the hospital every other weekend. Joining the El Camino Hospital team gave me the opportunity to witness and understand the different healthcare options and facilities that people growing up in my area have access to. However, as I spent more time volunteering at the hospital and several other places throughout my high school journey, I began to wonder how situations in America were different from situations elsewhere. As a member of Project LINC, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the lifestyle and conditions in the villages of India and help the people there to the best of my ability.