For Kunnenkeri, education and science have always been part of his life, which even reflects his first name, Sushruta, the ancient Sanskrit name of a celebrated fifth-century physician in India known as \u201cthe father of surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father gave me and my siblings all ancient Sanskrit names. He named me Sushruta, planting the seed of understanding science at an early age,\u201d says Kunnenkeri. \u201cI\u2019m proud of my name now, but my dad would always bring it up during doctor\u2019s appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building Confidence \u201cIf I can help build students\u2019 confidence and coach them in the right direction, building their level of understanding \u2026 about science, it might change their lives,\u201d says Kunnenkeri, whose professional experience prior to joining TCPCG includes having served as a mental health counselor at such institutions as Tufts Medical Center, where he co-taught and led clinical education classes for patients. Prior to working at Tufts, Kunnenkeri worked as a clinical research assistant at the Immune Disease Institute at Harvard Medical School in the Alper lab, where he co-authored a research paper.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I can help build students\u2019 confidence and coach them in the right direction, building their level of understanding \u2026 about science, it might change their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Sushruta Kunnenkeri \u201918 MA<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In addition to his father instilling appreciation for science at a young age, Kunnenkeri says his role model and brother-in-law, Cecil J. Thomas, taught him the importance of giving back to the community \u2014\u00a0a lesson that especially resonated with Kunnenkeri during the year following graduation from Northeastern University, when he spent two months volunteering in a legal aid office in the Hartford, Conn., area. His experience there, he says, allowed him to witness how poverty can inhibit opportunities for people. And it also proved crucial in giving him a sense of direction after the death of his father, which had occurred a few years earlier, just as Kunnenkeri was to start his sophomore year.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the verge of not completing my college degree \u2026 because I developed a sense of apathy,\u201d Kunnenkeri says. \u201cI kept working, but academics was not a priority after my dad passed away. I had a difficult time seeing the bigger picture in life. My family got me focused again and enthusiastic about my education.\u00a0My brother-in-law inspired me to be the best version of myself and showed how our personal passions and life\u2019s work can make a difference if we listen to the needs of others, work hard, and put others before ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually graduating in 2011 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in biology and minor in philosophy from Northeastern, Kunnenkeri went on to enter a University of California Berkeley program in advanced biosciences. It was around this time that he came back to that lesson of giving back to the community and began serving as a health educator and mental health counselor, teaching patients how to lead healthier lives and advocate for themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cI was \u2026 teaching with patients, and it kind of completed a lot of things that I was feeling when I was growing up. I was always taught to help people,\u201d says Kunnenkeri. \u201cI realized more and more my passion was in teaching children science, more than anything else, after working with disadvantaged kids and young adults in mental health. I saw the disadvantages some patients had educationally, and I wanted to help deliver more equitable education to leverage opportunities for young adults.\u201d<\/p>\n Firsthand Experience in the Classroom
\n<\/strong>When Kunnenkeri was a child, his father fostered a learning environment at the kitchen table, inviting his children to talk about science and history, giving them the confidence to explore new fields and ask questions \u2014 something Kunnenkeri, now an aspiring science teacher, wants to encourage his students to do.
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\n<\/strong>Kunnenkeri learned of the Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates at the Neag School and realized it offered an opportunity to make an impact on the lives of young people on a broader scale.<\/p>\n
![\"Sushruta](\"https:\/\/education.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1621\/2018\/01\/DSC_2277-Sushruta-Kunnekeri-Classroom-400x267.jpg\")