Philanthropy in education – and education itself – has been extremely important for our parents and grandparents. Seeking opportunities for a better life, Kajal’s grandparents ventured outside of India, becoming teachers and accountants in Tanzania for 40 years. And similarly, my father had extremely humble beginnings. Born in a South Indian farming village with no running water or electricity, he managed to perform well enough in school and state-level exams to earn a scholarship to attend medical school – something that would have been entirely impossible without funds from people who believed in the transformative power of education – sources exactly like The Fund for RE. So today, as we are fortunate enough to devote our own time and resources to bolstering such efforts, it gives us great pleasure to enhance and transform the lives of children through The Fund for RE. 

How has Ransom Everglades’ culture or environment impacted you as parents?
Although Kajal and I grew up in the United States – in New Jersey and Florida – we had not heard of any middle or high schools in Florida being 120 years old! This changed when we were introduced to RE. Very quickly we noticed the near-permanent presence of alumni on campus, during events, and throughout both the middle and upper schools. This decades-old culture of alumni and parent volunteers coming back day after day to contribute their time and effort – despite the never-ending demands of their own professional and personal lives – inspired us to do the same. As parents, it is easy to fall into the trap of focusing solely on the academic and sports success of our children. But the RE culture of giving back and the environment of constant involvement encouraged us as parents to focus on more than just helping our daughter “get good grades.”    

Everything! The ongoing expansion at RE from the incorporation of La Brisa to the new Humanities center in the works excites us. The increasing diversity of both the student body and the faculty excites us – we love seeing our daughter learn from a wide array of faculty perspectives and share these formative years with students from all walks of life. The world is not Miami – it is much more and it makes us happy that RE is preparing her for that world. We are also so excited to see a renewal of old traditions at RE – the revived school trips, the introduction of school spirit houses and a renewed focus on the complete experience of the RE student. And of course, the ever-expanding avenues for academic growth excite us – where Ransom Everglades’ administrators and faculty clearly understand that many of the jobs of the future don’t exist today and thus, are doing more than just preparing our children to take standardized tests and prepare for college alone. They are preparing them for a world where climate science, renewable energy and AI will be as important if not more so than the standard curriculum offerings. And finally, the increasing emphasis on campus to hear from different voices and learn about different cultures excites us: from Diwali celebrations to Chinese New Year festivities, students who know more about different cultures today will be better equipped to thrive in a multicultural world in the future.  

The successful execution of our job as Parent Chairs is only possible due to the Advancement Office’s tireless efforts and the incredible involvement of the Grade Team Leaders (GTLs) and Parent Volunteers. This year, as Parent Chairs, our only goal was to provide support and assistance to these GTLs and ensure that everyone understood the importance of participation – participation in time, effort or donations. This year, we are trying to drive this Participation in The Fund for RE. Next year, Kajal and I want to broaden that goal to not only get as close to 100% participation from the RE parent community, but also drive “100% education” in The Fund. What do we mean by this? We think it would be invaluable for The Fund for RE if all parents knew exactly what its funds were used for. Simply put, The Fund for RE is not about creating something for students several years from now or for projects that bolster the stature of the school in the future; instead, it is about today and our children, today. Getting new athletic jerseys in the middle of the school year, purchasing new software or equipment for classes today, hiring staff in the college counseling office, funding cultural celebrations and supporting students’ wellness are just a few of the things The Fund supports. Spreading this information widely would support The Fund’s causes for years to come. 

In our three years as parents at RE, one thing has become clear: there is no shortage of ways to get involved on campus. Everything from book clubs to sporting events, mock college interviews to affinity groups, cultural committees to volunteer fundraising events – the list is truly endless. We’ve seen that this 120-year-old institution is much more than just a school and the opportunities for involvement continue to be rewarding. And getting involved on campus means being more present in our children’s lives. Whether that is 1 hour a week, 1 hour a month or 1 day a year, that involvement itself is worth it.

Joining RE as new parents with no previous connections to the school or Miami before moving here, we were quite intimidated by the way every other parent seemed to be an RE alum, had a relative at RE or had found their spouse at RE! Motivated by a strong desire to be more involved in improving life for our daughter, Misha ’28, we took the first steps towards being more active as RE parents and volunteers. We asked questions and learned more about the school’s diversity efforts, we asked questions about growing the Indian cultural events and we learned more about how to increase scholarships offered to underrepresented groups. This curiosity morphed into much more involvement over time and happened organically, tailored to our time and desires. And now, more than ever, with all the new parents coming to Miami from other cities, states and countries, we would say: in the blink of an eye, our children will be graduating and going off to college. Making their RE experience as rewarding as possible and being involved in that process as volunteers will be time well spent.