Passion for helping community takes senior around world

By Monica Dutia, Senior Editor

Hardly anyone, especially at the age of 18, can talk about meeting Jane Goodall and Romeo Dallaire, Hanson and Bono, and dining with Desmond Tutu in her own home. Senior Megan Sidhu is an exception.

Following her mother’s lead from a young age, Megan has found her true passion in serving the community through several non-profit and service organizations. On Mar. 24, Megan along with senior Alex Moffett, her co-president of Social Justice club, had Curt Chesko, vice president of The Halo Trust, speak to the Upper School about the danger of land mines in Cambodia.

Megan’s mother, Lekha Singh, has been an active member of numerous non-profit agencies around the world. For as long as she can remember, Megan has been exposed to international icons and organizations.

“I have always been interested in doing something to make a difference,” Megan said. “For along time I thought I wanted to be involved with preserving endangered animals, but as I got older and started to read the paper and listen to the news, my interests changed.”

One of Megan’s positions is being the youngest board member of Free the Children (FTC), an international foundation in which youth throughout the world help other youth through educational programs. Having joined the organization when she was 11, she has increased her commitment to the program significantly over the years.

“My sister (Alysha Sidhu, ‘07) and I started a chapter after hearing the founder, Craig Kielburger, speak,” Megan said. “Since then, I have been an active member of the organization, attending leadership conferences and camps, and traveling to Kenya and Ecuador with them. When I was 14 they asked me to be on their Board of Directors as a youth representative, and I have been ever since.”

Sanjiv Sidhu, Megan’s father, said that her early introduction to Free the Children has led to her further involvement as she got older.

“Her mom made the early introduction to the Kielburgers,” he said. “She’s also been involved in aid matrix, which was focused on distributing food more efficiently. When she was very young, her mom would organize 5Ks to raise money and she got to volunteer. She’s been involved with organizing fundraisers for a very long time.”

Megan said that her biggest inspiration has come from her mother, who has continually supported her interests.

“When I wanted to study endangered animals, she bought me books and discussed them with me,” Megan said. “She has been a great role model for me. She’s taken me to speakers, shown me books, taken me to countries that otherwise I could only dream about.”

From a young age, Megan has traveled around the world to countries including Germany, Kenya, Rwanda, and India. She said that her most memorable experience was going to Masai Mara, Kenya, during the summer of 2006 she helped build a Free the Children school sponsored by an international volunteer organization.

“There were other volunteers from the states, but when I took a break, I would talk to three girls who were also 15 who would attend the school that we were building,” Megan said. “One of the girls asked if I was engaged or married, I laughed and said that I was only 15. Another girl looked up at me and told me that she wasn’t going to get married any time soon either; that she wanted to go to university to study to be a teacher. In that moment, I knew that I was truly helping her. I gave her the freedom to go to school and to learn that she could choose what she wanted to do.”

Trey Colvin, Upper School English teacher and Megan’s advisor for the past four years, said he thinks that her passion and determination will lead to her making a big impact in the world.

“The amazing thing about Megan is that she does so much work for other people and never tries to seek out the glory for herself,” Dr. Colvin said. “She does it because she’s passionate about what she does. She’s such an activist, and that’s so unusual in a young person.”

No matter the career path Megan chooses to take, Mr. Sidhu said that he believes serving others will always be an inherent part of Megan’s li0fe.

“I think she’s fairly young and her passions could change, but that’s just fine,” Mr. Sidhu said. “I think college is a time for her to really explore and see how she wants to make the change from being in high school to becoming an adult. I think she’s ready for that exploration. Even with new interests developing, I think this would still be an important part of her life.”

Ms. Singh agreed. She said that traveling, working on a documentary about forgiveness and justice, and being a board member of FTC has helped Megan discover her lifelong goals.

“Her exposure to the world has made her passionately want to be a diplomat,” she said. “She feels she can bring about peace in the world in this manner.”

Megan said she knows that what she as learned thus far has become her true passion.

“This is what I want to do with my life,” she said. “FTC taught me a lot about who I am and what I want to do. I want to major in third world studies and Education. My dream is to live in Kenya and work doing needs assessments, living in villages and understanding other cultures.”