#PeopleOfDonatekart: Meet Sweety Shah

“I was a teacher of economics and math for 9 years, and I’ve taught over 4 lakh students. And even now when one of my students sees me outside, they always approach me and remember me fondly — that’s what gives me immense joy. Interacting with students, learning from them and growing with them has been a lovely process. But while teaching is my passion, I always knew I wanted to do more.

I was a very quiet child growing up. I was focused on my studies and spent time with the few friends I had. But everything changed for me in college. I had to start working to support myself and my family, and that first teaching job I took changed my life. However, moving from teaching to being a social media strategist has come with it’s own hurdles. Not everyone supported my career change, and there were countless people saying that I should be focusing on getting married instead. But I’m an ambitious person — I want to do big things with my life and career. And even with all the backlash, I can proudly say that I have been able to stand up for myself all these years.

My mother has always been a great support to me and is one of the main reasons I started teaching in the first place. However, the last couple of years have been testing times for us. I still remember the day she had a brain hemorrhage. It was at night and I had no one around to help me. I called the local doctor and she said that my mother would be fine, and it wasn’t anything serious. But I knew that something was wrong. Scared and panic-stricken, I ran barefoot to the hospital nearby asking them to help me. That was the most devastated I’ve ever been, and while my mother is doing fine now, it showed me how unpredictable life is.

Today, my family, career and my mental health are what matter to me the most. I’ve learnt that other people will always have an opinion on how I choose to live my life, but what matters is what I think of myself. Now I can’t wait to explore new places again, grow in my role here at Donatekart and continue defying expectations that society places on women.

There’s so much to learn, so much to grow. And the only way is forward.”

- Sweety Shah, Social Media Content Strategist