Rockefeller Leadership Fellow: Juhi Kalra '16

This series introduces the 2015-2016 Rockefeller Leadership Fellows. Each fellow reflects on why he or she wanted to be a part of the program and what aspects of leadership most interests them.

The key aspect of leadership that interests me is the technique of being able to motivate those around me. While I am approachable, friendly, and energetic, I do not know how to mesh those qualities together to make people around me want to perform tasks voluntarily. Leaders oversee performance of members but never have to demand coworkers to take responsibility as they inspire their coworkers to be diligent and engaged.

Throughout my time here at Dartmouth, I have been involved with a number of different extracurricular activities. To mention a few, I was an International Student Mentor for incoming international freshmen, the President of Milan South Asian Organization throughout my sophomore year, and am currently a student moderator for Improve Dartmouth, the Project Chair for a Dartmouth Roots ongoing project and an Admissions Tour Guide. I know that I am a leader who brings energy into a room, is a good listener, and can look at the "bigger" picture in order to meet deadlines and foresee potential pitfalls; however, I really want to learn how to become a leader who doesn't boss or nag but instead inspires coworkers to work efficiently, meticulously and diligently - something I hope to gain from RLF.

After Dartmouth, I would like to begin my career as an engineer in the Product Design world. I love understanding consumer needs and then challenging myself to design a solution that will significantly impact the target market. The long run dream, however, is to merge innovation with social entrepreneurship in order to create meaningful products that will improve lives for those who are not born with a silver spoon in their mouths. The dream stems from my childhood experience growing up in five different countries and being exposed to life outside my sheltered expatriate lifestyle. I cannot wait for the day I stumble upon an idea that will make this dream come true.

Juhi Kalra ’16, originally from India, graduated from Shanghai American School Pudong as Valedictorian and recipient of the EAGLE Award.At Dartmouth, Juhi is pursuing a Bachelors of Engineering concentrating in Mechanical Engineering. She is currently a student moderator for Improve Dartmouth and a member of Dartmouth Roots. Juhi is also an Admissions Tour Guide, a member of Ujima Hip-Hop Troupe, an International Student Mentor, and a board member of the Milan South Asian Organization. Passionate about innovation and design, Juhi aims to begin her career in product development and ultimately establish herself as a social entrepreneur in the design world.