HeyMath! Scholar: Balaji Giridharan
When my parents first told me that we were taking a trip to India I was, admittedly, less than thrilled. My opinion of Chennai wasn't particularly high and furthermore it took me away from pursuing an internship back home in the US. However in a matter of a few days it became clear to me that this was not the same place I had visited as a small child. It had been 7 years since I had last visited, and from the second I landed at the airport I was stunned at the new city being built. Not only that, but it seemed as though the way of life had changed drastically as well. When your maid talks on her bluetooth headset while she's sweeping, your priest schedules his appointments on a 20-inch flat panel monitor, and your grandfather takes his morning walks while listening to his iPod, you know that progress is being made. Globalization is a big part of my generation, and as the world gets "smaller," being able to communicate with people from other cultures is becoming an extremely valuable tool.
HeyMath! has been an amazing experience. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first stepped in the office, never having worked in an environment outside of California. Once again, I was in for a surprise. The facilities here at HeyMath! rival any silicon valley start-up company, and the experienced personnel here know how to balance hard work and fun. Each day I go to my cubicle inside of an air-conditioned office. Most of my time is spent at my desk, but I also go and interact with the animators or whomever else I happen to be collaborating with at the time. There is a real feeling of community in the office, as everyone works together to put together a quality product. From my first day, I never felt like an outsider. Everyone was warm and welcoming, and with such a strong support team, each individual is able to put their best foot forward.
I worked specifically on expanding our lessons to South Africa, by writing scripts that I thought would be both fun and educational. Since I had just graduated from high school the previous year, I felt that I could relate fairly well to the kids and integrate topics that they could relate to. It was a surprisingly long process, as I had very little knowledge about the South African culture. It started with me doing research on several social issues in South Africa, anything from illegal immigration to HIV/AIDS. As a result, I ended up increasing my own knowledge about a foreign culture as well as finding information to use in lessons. In this sense, HeyMath! is much more than any other tutoring company: because its products are used in many parts of the world, employees are familiar with the way of life in countries they never dreamed of visiting.
I generally worked with the interns from Cambridge University. When I first learned that I was to be working with Grad students, from such a prestigious university nonetheless, I was a bit nervous as to how they would view me. However they were all incredibly friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. Along with my supervisor, Ken Meehan, they were very helpful in getting me acclimated to the new environment. Despite an ivy-league degree and over a decade of experience teaching at the high school and college level, Ken took took the time to walk me through the individual steps. In addition, Edward Drake and Lakshmi Ramachandran were always on hand in case I had any additional questions and made sure I could be productive part of the office. Never once in my time here did I feel like I wasn't contributing to the HeyMath! environment, and as a result I feel as though this was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
As an American working in India alongside English interns to create a product for South African students.....whew! talk about real-world experience! But in today's world being able to interact with all these different cultures is an invaluable asset, and companies like HeyMath! are leading the way towards global integration. After all, no matter what our differences, here we all speak the same language: Math!!
