By Hailey MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief
Money and success aren’t the secrets to a life of happiness. Juhi Dasrath, the Graduate Intern in the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership, learned this through her time as a recent graduate and young business professional.
Born in Guyana, South America, Dasrath has undergone a series of life changes that brought her to Springfield, Massachusetts. For the first 11 years of her life, she lived in New York City before moving to Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Dasrath struggled during her time in New England, however.
“I experienced a lot of racism there and was very unhappy,” she recalls. “My mom was presented with an opportunity to move back to Guyana so I pushed for it really hard.” After a few years of hardships in the small Connecticut town, Dasrath and her family moved back to Guyana, where she graduated high school. After receiving her high school diploma and observing the educational climate of the South American country, they moved back to the states and settled in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Dasrath attended Springfield Technical Community College, where she was the Student Body President and received an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts in May 2016. Afterward, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism with a Minor in English in the Honors College of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She graduated from there in 2018.
In between 2018 and now, Dasrath took a few years off of school and worked full time in New York City. She specialized in marketing, working at a few different firms where she primarily focused on print and social media, marketing strategies and materials, and working directly with clientele.
Dasrath was successful in her many roles, but more importantly, she learned a lot about herself. When her marketing firm shut down due to the pandemic, she was able to stop and take the time to reflect on herself, her goals, and her well-being.
“You can make a ton of money if you’re good at sales but are willing to give up all of your free time,” comments Dasrath in relation to her full-time employment in the City. “After starting the job, I was very successful very quickly but I found myself working from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M. every night.”
Dasrath stressed the fast-paced work environment and long hours as well as the pressure that came with her job. She wasn’t able to take time for self-care, and her free time was limited as she even found herself working long hours on the weekends.
Therefore, not only did the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic allow Dasrath to slow down and think, but she was also presented with a few prospects for her future.
Living in New York City not only allowed her to see the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she was also exposed to the Black Lives Matter movement, riots, and protests. Dasrath recalls the racial divide and hatred that she witnessed first-hand. This ignited her mind and made her realize that she wanted to be hands-on and make her own impact on the world around her.
“I decided that the only way I could change the world was to change my immediate world by educating those I could touch,” recalls Dasrath, deciding that she needed to uproot herself from where she had established her new life and try something completely different.
“I moved back home with my parents and enrolled at Springfield College so I could learn how to have the right conversations with budding minds about how they play an important role in diversity and inclusion as they become professionals,” she says.
Now, Dasrath is in her second semester as a Graduate Student at Springfield College. She is enrolled in the Student Affairs Administration program and is also considering continuing for another semester upon completion to become a licensed school counselor.
She began working in the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership at Western New England University in January. She comes into the office three days a week and performs tasks that directly correlate to her work in the classroom.
Dasrath’s days are spent brainstorming ideas for the office’s marketing and social media platforms, constructing weekly newsletters, and planning and implementing the office’s “What’s on Wednesdays?” programs every week. She also works directly with the senior staff members as well as with clubs and organizations, particularly on their programming initiatives.
Dasrath aspires to work with underserved and underrepresented students upon completion of her degree. “My heart is dedicated to helping those students navigate their way from graduating the K-12 system and into their next steps in life,” she reflects.
As a first-generation college student and young woman of color, Dasrath faced a lot of hurdles and adversities throughout her education that, unfortunately, her family wasn’t always able to understand. Therefore, she aims to be that light for students that need the extra support and guidance by creating a “safe space for students to have hard conversations about themselves and their paradigm,” she states.
In her tasks and responsibilities in the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership, Dasrath is able to work directly with students and staff members to learn and sharpen the skills that she hopes to employ in her career. We, as students and members of the University community, will be able to assist Dasrath in shaping her education and hands-on experiences, which have influence over her future.
“I have high expectations of myself,” Dasrath concludes, “and hope that my influence in education can help young minds learn beyond the classroom about issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone.”
If you venture onto the second floor of the St. Germain Campus Center on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays, stop and say hello to Juhi Dasrath. You’ll meet a peer, mentor, and fellow student leader, and young professional.
