From Finding Purpose to Creating Possibilities

Sheersha’s Journey of Change

“Change is not about saving others, but about walking with them until they find their own voice.” -Sheersha Sexena 

The railway station was crowded that evening. Trains screeched in and out, vendors shouted for attention, and children darted between passengers with a mix of playfulness and curiosity in their eyes. It was here, amid the chaos, that Sheersha first met the children she would teach. She was nervous, clutching her notebook, unsure of what she could offer. But when a little girl named Muskan tugged at her sleeve, curiosity shining in her eyes, something shifted.

“Back then, Muskan was just one of many students,” Sheersha recalled. “Today, she runs her own initiatives for children in Aligarh. Watching her grow made me realize it’s never about rescuing someone. It’s about walking beside them until they find their own voice.”

Her path to this moment began at home. As a B.Com student, she sat through long lectures, restless and uninspired. Her father noticed. One evening over tea, he asked quietly, “If this doesn’t make you happy, why not try social work?” That simple question opened the door to a new direction. Encouraged by her parents, she decided to follow her heart.

At RDWA, Sheersha found her training ground. She remembers hot afternoons when she and her teammate Tanishka gathered children under a neem tree, drawing alphabets in the dust because they had no notebooks. During the pandemic, she knocked on doors, encouraging children to join lessons and motivating parents to stay hopeful. “We didn’t have many resources,” she said, “but we had belief.”

The core team of the RDWA of five soon became her second family. They brainstormed fundraising ideas late into the night, scribbling plans on scrap paper, laughing at setbacks, and celebrating every milestone. “That’s where I learned what leadership really means,” she said. “Not commanding, but building together.”

Stepping into this world wasn’t always easy. At first, she accepted her family’s concerns that the streets were unsafe for women. “I thought maybe it was better to stay away,” she admitted. Everything changed when she saw Tanishka walk into the field with quiet confidence. “If she can, why can’t I?” From that day, Sheersha began to trust her own courage.

Later, with Sagar’s (co-founder of RDWA) encouragement, she joined Teach for India in 2022. The contrast struck her immediately. In government schools, children arrived in uniforms, ready to learn, but needed guidance to dream bigger. On the streets, she first had to convince children to attend classes. “Both were challenging,” she explained, “but in different ways. With one, the struggle was to begin. With the other, it was to keep moving forward.”

Through these experiences, her philosophy deepened: meaningful change begins with personal growth. “Honestly, the children have impacted me more than I’ve impacted them,” she laughed gently. “They’ve taught me resilience, perspective, and the value of listening.”

Today, as an Associate at Teach for India, she works with young minds, nurturing leadership and self-belief. She shares the same lesson with new change leaders: social work isn’t just about giving—it’s also about discovering yourself.

Looking back, she remembers her younger self: shy, uncertain, and hesitant to step out of her comfort zone. Now she sees a woman who leads with empathy, courage, and hope.

“We all carry potential,” she reflected. “Sometimes, all we need is someone to believe in us until we learn to believe in ourselves.”