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The Earth Education Fellows 2022-23
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Aashra Hannah Iype
Researcher, Himalayan Insight
Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
Aashra, a researcher and aspiring conservationist, has been delving into the grassroots of Himachal Pradesh and creating community-driven initiatives at their current workspace. They have worked on and participated in campaigns for conservation, conducted on-ground surveys, and strive towards using science, research, and their love for nature to protect the environment. “As we nurture the next generation, we can empower and encourage them to lead sustainable development projects”, says Aashra who envisions a future where communities will lead with awareness, curiosity, and passion to protect their environment.
Abhishek M
Field assistant, Holematthi Nature Foundation,
Chamarajanagar, Karnataka
Abhishek plays a pivotal role in creating awareness and curating education programs for children in his community. He is on a mission to conserve wildlife and nature, which drives him to consistently learn, observe and rekindle his curiosity by facilitating programs centered around this mission. Abhishek seeks to finesse his skills and explore innovative ideas through the fellowship, in order to reach out to larger communities and initiate consistent impact through his fieldwork.
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Achsah Steffi John
Education Officer, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust
Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
As a zoo educator, Steffi works towards instilling awareness, specifically for herpetology. While her current work is around wildlife awareness, Steffi traces her calling toward wildlife to as early as her 11-year-old self, who insisted on studying animals, despite her peers' lack of belief at the time. Fast forward to now, she has immersed herself in the science of animals and aims to use the fellowship as an enabling force to create awareness modules to inspire the younger generation.
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Aishwarya Soni
Deputy Manager for Strategic & Visual Communications at ITDP India
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Aishwarya Soni, an ITDP employee has been using her free time to volunteer, learn and connect with children through various initiatives and organizations. Through her time teaching mathematics, to children at an orphanage in Bengaluru, Aishwarya has rightfully identified the curiosity and depth of learning in them, and she aims to nurture this very innate wonder within them, to create change, awareness, and a call to action for the environment. When she is not working towards creating sustainable communication strategies in her organization and spending time teaching and learning with children, you can find Aishwarya breaking out of her comfort zone and taking on the streets of Chennai and Bengaluru on her cycle and dwelling in the midst of natural spaces.
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Ajay Kumar
Co-founder & Director, Teach for Green
Palamu, Jharkhand
Ajay has been working in the green energy research space as well as on environmental and developmental research. He is the co-founder and director at Teach for Green, a social enterprise working to create widespread awareness around nature and environmental literacy. Spending time in nature calms him, whether in the midst of a forest or while watering his plants. Ajay aims to grasp the learnings from this fellowship, to create higher awareness in communities in accepting green energy as a solution for environmental conservation.
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Akhter Hussain Najar
Independent researcher & member, SEED
Bandipora, Jammu & Kashmir
Akhter, an environmental science expert from Jammu, is an independent researcher who has been specializing in studying pollinators and the impacts of climate change on the environment. Through his work in environmental science and research, he strives to be the voice in his community at large to ignite awareness, around pertinent issues that require to be addressed, to save the environment. Akhter has been leading a group of individuals towards exploring and learning about the healing effects of being in the midst of nature, as his work stems from his love and adoration for all the learning that nature has to offer. Akhter has led several environmental programs around conservation during the last decade and aims to increase the scope of his current work through this fellowship.
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Anuviya Anbuselvam
Environmental education coordinator
Pitchandikulam forest, Auroville, Pondicherry
Anuviya, an environmental educator, has been following her call to connect with nature through her work at the Pitchandikulam Forest. She has led and implemented outreach programs for conservation across Tamil Nadu, guided by her curiosity for nature. Anuviya is currently working towards implementing place-based education programs and seeks to traverse into scientific explorations through her journey as an Earth Education Fellow.
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Charlotte Trishika Jeffries
Nature Enthusiast & Contributor, Palluyir Trust for Nature Education and Research
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
While pursuing her under-graduation, Charlotte has created a nature-based card game and contributes to creating educational materials at her current workplace. She plays an active role in outreach programs at her college by conducting river walks for younger students and offering her time for community service initiatives. Charlotte has curated nature walks and explored the local biodiversity around her, an aspect she wishes to strengthen and build on during her journey as an Earth Education fellow.
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Chetana Purushotham
Co-founder, Spiders and the Sea
Bengaluru, Karnataka
Fourteen years of exploring, learning, and facilitating in the world of conservation and wildlife has provided Chetana with a deep dive into the different facets of the field. From being a volunteer, and research assistant to acquiring a master's degree in wildlife biology, specializing in marine ecology, and conducting outreach, Chetana has an array of experiences. Through her organization, Chetana has been curating regular nature walks and learning programs for urban Bengaluru while writing science stories around nature, species, and their behaviors as a creative means to create a buzz among her audience.
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Himanshi Poonia
Facilitator, Sahodaya
Gaya, Bihar
Himanshi, a passionate educator, has fought many odds to create a path for her dreams of teaching. “I realised the first step of education is to understand the foundation of your survival and life”, says Himanshi who has left behind her plans of pursuing a career in CA, to facilitate open learning spaces for children in a remote village in Bihar. She believes in being a friend to the children she interacts with every day, in order to learn and understand their truest thoughts. Himanshi has persevered and spread educational awareness in varied spaces such as her own village and in marketplaces around her town. She believes that the fellowship will play a pivotal role in her journey toward reimagining, recreating, and facilitating spaces for children filled with knowledge, curiosity to learn, and love for nature among children.
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Ipsita Sarkar
Humane Educator | Senior Content Manager, STRAW (Stray Relief and Animal Welfare)
New Delhi
Ipsita currently plays a pivotal role, in developing programs in storytelling formats, to inculcate kindness towards the environment and animals using experiential methodologies for children. Nature has been her constant source of calm, peace, and centre that she works towards sharing with children. She believes that the fellowship will provide her with a deep dive into the making of experimental programs and outdoor explorations for children in nature. Ipsita is a strong believer in nature-based learning and has pursued a career in it to create a path for more children to experience these learnings.
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Jerusha
Head of Operations, Sensible.Earth
Mapusa, Goa
Jerusha is a passionate nature enthusiast who has been trailing through her journey to conserve and preserve nature. She believes this change can be genuinely engineered through young people who, according to her, are the ones who have the will to make the difference that they wish to see. She believed that the fellowship would guide her journey to engage large groups of youngsters and engage them towards being flag-bearers of change. Jerusha has led several community-driven campaigns to raise awareness of single-use plastic and build sustainable, alternate methods to combat community needs.
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Mahesh Negi
Environmentalist
Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
Mahesh hails from a tribal community in the Himalayas, where he has conducted several awareness programs for children about nature conservation. The Himalayas have been the driving source of his passion for being a climate activist and instigating curiosity amongst children through nature walks and explorations. He has faced limitations with funds, resources, and facilities but has always surpassed these hurdles to embark on his journey of nature conservation. He believes that the fellowship will provide him with a bounty of exposure and learning in order to continue his community awareness programs on a much larger and more consistent scale.
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Maria Antony
Nature Educator, ATREE Agasthyamalai Community Conservation Centre
Manimutharu, Tamil Nadu
Antony is a nature educator who finds his joy and inspiration from the little things he observes in the environment. He owes his initial jolt towards nature to his mother who has several stories to tell. He has engaged and encouraged several students, teachers, and communities in developing environmental awareness by facilitating programs in both classroom and field settings. Antony has also developed resource materials through different mediums by combining his knowledge of nature with his skills in digital illustration, caricature, storytelling, designing, and photography. Antony aims to create a generation of eco-sensitive warriors through this fellowship.
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Mihir Pathak
Eklavya Foundation
Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh
After dropping out of conventional schooling and breaking away from his traditional upbringing, Mihir sailed towards facilitating a self-learning space for children through varied explorative projects. Now, he leads an eco-club for children in his community where they dwell in non-conventional learning methods through clean-up drives, cycling, local awareness camps, and story writing. In his free time, you can find Mihir amid the Narmadha Ghat, where he writes journals nature to reconnect with himself.
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Sharan V
Co-founder & President, Rhopalocera & Odonata Association of Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu
A butterfly enthusiast and early career entrepreneur, Sharan spends his days observing butterflies and sharing his findings with people around him. He enjoys going on walks with people to absorb different interpretations and notes about the natural world. He is the co-founder & president of the Rhopalocera & Odonata Association of Rajapalayam (ROAR) which has published on the Butterflies of Tamil Nadu, among others. He has conducted many awareness programs on butterflies pan-India, creating a huge network of butterfly enthusiasts from every state. His club's goal is to bridge the gap between people and nature through education on lesser fauna.
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Snigdha Sehgal
Science teacher, Alternative Schools
Goa
Snigdha is a biologist and a science and nature educator. She believes that science is best learned through curious exploration - of one’s backyards, local ecosystems, kitchens, toys, and general tinkering and that taking learning outside of classroom walls and opening it up to the wilderness fosters a deep love for nature and its beings. Snigdha works as a full-time teacher and has taught science at alternative schools for 8+ years, striving to make science fun, experiential, and relevant for children. Outside of being a full-time teacher, she also holds science and nature education workshops for children and adults.
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Twinkle Chouhan
Volunteer, Haijalo
Champawat, Uttarakhand
Twinkle’s love for nature began with the curiosity to understand and investigate the interconnectedness in our environment. This has led her to spend time teaching children to be self-reliant and active in community development as she strives to kindle her curiosity and grasp nature's lessons. Twinkle believes that she has a voice within, filled with expressions, but she is yet to find the means to articulate it. She feels that the fellowship will provide her the space to do so and facilitate an open space for her thoughts to turn into action.
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Vidya Sagapam
Student, B.Sc. Forestry
Imphal, Manipur
Meet Vidya, an aspiring environmentalist who is currently a B.Sc Forestry student. Vidya is an advisor and former General Secretary at Girl Up Manipur, a club under Girl Up International, an initiative by United Nations Foundation. She believes in working towards leaving the planet in a much better state than it was through her endeavors, such as founding her college environment club and leading campaigns such as the global climate strike and paper bag project. She believes that her passion has no bounds, and this fellowship would nurture her passion.
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