Mrinalini (Jhumpa) Banerjee-Stevens

“As this academic year draws to a close, I’m reminded of how much Inspire allowed me to strengthen my leadership skills. I’m immensely grateful for the opportunities provided for me during my senior year at Inspire, as I feel they served as a springboard for success during my first year at UC Davis.

I remain humbled by the confidence that Mrs. Brown and Ms. Hawkins placed in me to serve as Senior Class President. I couldn’t have planned monthly fundraising drives or executed events like our senior trip and prom without their continued support and mentorship. Through my work with ASB and Environmental Club, I was able to develop project management and team-building skills that have gone on to bolster my extracurricular work at UC Davis.

Despite going from being a ‘big fish’ to a ‘small fish’ very suddenly, I’ve maintained the momentum from my senior year. I currently serve as a member of the Reproductive Health Committee at Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic– a student-run free clinic serving members of the unhoused community of Sacramento– and I hold a position as a student intern in an ecology laboratory. Above everything, I credit the experience and education I received at Inspire for giving me the confidence to ‘take the bull by the horns’ this year.”