Hello, my name is Sahithya,

I hail from Hyderabad, having grown up in Andhra Pradesh. As a child, I was often labeled as thickheaded and dim-witted, surrounded by gloom. In those days, most reputable schools were overcrowded, with my class sizes ranging from 75 to 80 students. Amidst a sea of 1000 children, I felt invisible, with no one seeming to care about who I was or what I might become. I had no friends and remained just as unnoticed whether I was the lowest scorer in math or the highest in English. My achievements, or lack thereof, seemed to make no difference in how others saw me. However, everything changed when I transitioned to a smaller school in the 9th grade, where my class consisted of only 10 girls and 15 boys. Suddenly, I became the most active and noticed kid in class, with each day filled with laughter, joy, and energy. The shift was profound, driven by a newfound sense of belonging, love, and care from my teachers, which helped me discover my identity and build confidence, communication skills, conscientiousness, and self-awareness. From that point on, I never looked back, navigating life’s ups and downs with a consistently positive outlook.

In today’s world, I believe schools have improved somewhat in terms of teacher-student ratios. As parents are more financially capable, they’re willing to invest significantly to ensure their children receive individualised attention and comfortable learning environments with amenities like air-conditioned classrooms. However, today’s children often lack the time and empathy from their parents and grandparents. The valuable hours that should be spent with family, relatives, and neighbors outdoors are instead consumed by screens or structured activities like tennis or karate classes. There’s a scarcity of time dedicated to love, communication, and genuine connections. Children today are engulfed in an excess of everything they desire, never learning to distinguish between needs and wants, which is crucial for understanding the value of relationships, respect, and compassion. Moreover, technological advancements have brought about negative impacts, including unhealthy diets, excessive use of social media, and a culture of abundance, all of which affect their brain development and lifestyle choices.

I have an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old who are navigating the challenges mentioned earlier, just as all our children inevitably will. But the question remains: how do we guide them to become independent, resilient, kind, ambitious, and content individuals in a world overflowing with “everything available” at their fingertips? As a strong and capable parent, you’re adept at providing your children with abundance, but how do we ensure they grow to emulate the strength and perfection they see in you? Who will guide them in this journey? Inspired by an African proverb often quoted by my mentor, “It takes a village to raise a child,” I was motivated to support my community with my “Fly High Coaching Programme.” This initiative is designed to educate children aged 6 to 12 about life and prepare them for its realities.

My goal is to nurture independent decision-makers who can discern right from wrong, even in the absence of their parents, and to stand up for themselves in challenging situations. I aim to teach them how to respectfully disagree, appreciate the value of differing opinions, and understand that making meaningful connections is far more important than accumulating thousands of friends on social media. Ultimately, my mission is to equip them for a happy and successful life.

For more information about the program and to get in touch with me, please visit my website at www.icandoatflyhigh.com.