Personal experience of Neha

Introduction

Neha was inspired by her grandparents’ philanthropy and service to society and followed in their footsteps by engaging with charity work from an early age. At school she took part in fundraising and volunteering events for various charities and at fundraising events organised by her grandparents in aid of RNIB and eye camps in Bhuj, India. She was also a ‘Leo’ in the youth branch of the Lions Club and volunteered at the Hospice of St Francis for 2 years. In memory of her late Aunt, Dharini Chandarana, she volunteered in the Crisis Health Centre at Christmas, serving the homeless population in London. She was elected to the King’s Raising and Giving Charity Committee at University where she raised record amounts of donations bucket collecting and negotiated the highest sponsorship package for the organisation, trebling the amount from the previous year. While at University she was the Conference Officer on the King’s Neurosurgery Society Committee, involved with organising their third annual international Conference. Similar to her grandparents, she is passionate about teaching and training students and developed a wealth of experience through medical school. During the pandemic she founded an online global teaching programme for young people on important health topics, forging connections with and teaching alongside eminent speakers from institutions such as Oxford University and Harvard University who gave lectures on the Programme. Neha is currently the President of a National Leadership organisation promoting engagement with global health. As a classically trained singer in her spare time, Neha has performed at many high- profile events and venues including the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Wembley Arena, at the BBC Proms and overseas in China and Hong Kong. She has a shared love of nature with her grandma and has achieved her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, for which she enjoyed hiking and camping in the Peak District!