My name is Satvik Jain. I’m currently a senior at Singapore American School and have been involved with TASSEL for the last four years -- since the first week of my freshman year. Honestly, my initial knowledge about TASSEL’s mission or service work was extremely superficial; I joined because I heard about TASSEL’s teaching opportunities for high school volunteers. In years I’ve worked with TASSEL, however, that beginning surface understanding has developed into a true passion for service work and intrinsic motivation to make an indelible impact on the impoverished Cambodians we serve. 

 

As a TASSEL volunteer and leader at the Singapore TASSEL chapter, my primary goal has been to support TASSEL through the following four areas of service: direct, indirect, research, and advocacy. The direct service includes both having taught biweekly English lessons and participating in the annual summer trip. Living in Asia and having helped alleviate poverty from a young age during service work in elementary and middle school, I thought I understood the plight of the impoverished. But sitting down with each family and watching tears trickle down their faces as they reflect upon the tragedies of their lives is an entirely different experience. The TASSEL summer trips continue to solidify my commitment towards the cause and make each participant more culturally competent, humble, and passionate. My indirect service work includes organizing global teaching, expanding our chapter’s member base, and fundraising. I work with the Singapore chapter’s amazing member base, officer team, and parent volunteers to host yearly fundraising events such as our gala which raised enough to build school in the poverty ravaged village of Samlot

 

I believe in TASSEL not just because of the impact it delivers, but also because of the local Cambodian teachers who run the organization alongside Joji. Their devotion to the cause, empathy towards families’ predicaments, and pure love for their students is what makes TASSEL special -- this is why I continued being a TASSEL volunteer. TASSEL taught me that each volunteer can make a community impact in a tangible way and that each volunteer can change a family’s narrative. 

 

If you care deeply about the people you serve, and if you want to effect an indelible impact, then I urge you to join this life changing organization.