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Born and brought up in India and trained as a computer programmer, I came to Los Angeles as a young graduate student in the early eighties and completed my Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. My fascination towards how Psychology can remove limitations in our lives took me back to school to pursue a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the UCLA and eventually to get my license to practice as a psychotherapist. After searching for the right psychological tool and after realizing the power of mindfulness while going through my own personal crisis, I started using Mindfulness as the main anchor in my work and started teaching Mindfulness workshops. All throughout my undertakings, I have always found myself organizing and setting up programs, to help people to remove their limitations and to realize their potential, whether it was in Hong Kong, US, or India, whether it was a understanding Psychology clinic or an educational setting.
I completed my PhD in Computer Information Systems from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. After working in that field for a while, I went back to school in 1993 to pursue a master's degree in Clinical Social Work from the UCLA School of Public Policy and then eventually to get my license (LCSW) to practice as a psychology professional.
I have taught information systems classes in multiple university settings. Then I moved on to teach Mindfulness-based programs in various platforms such as universities and psychology clinics, online and in person. As you read ahead, you will find that I love exploring various educational platforms to reach out to students in many ways.
All through my career, first in computers and then in psychology, I have been involved in setting up and managing programs. Examples range from setting up Mindfulness programs for undergraduates in a university or Couples Counseling programs in South Asian agencies in Los Angeles.
My passion has been to help students to reach their maximum potential, either by teaching professional or psychological skills or by setting up programs that they can use for their advancement.
Snippets from Mindfulness workshop at ISB Hyderabad.
Executive Director from November 2017 to present. InFac's flagship Entrepreneurship program titled UCLA MNIT Entrepreneurship Immersive is curated with academic partnerships with University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Malavia National Institute of Technology (MNIT) Jaipur. This residential program in Jaipur includes a six-month-long educational component followed by another six-month long seed funded incubation period designed to support the entire life of a start-up. As the Executive Director of the program, I am responsible for managing admissions, marketing, digital presence, residential facilities, faculty relationships, and student welfare. The program is scheduled to commence in April 2019.
Director of Campus Relations at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness (CFM) from August 2016 to August 2018. CFM is part of UCSD School of Medicine offering Mindfulness-based programs to the entire San Diego community. However, they did not have a strong presence in the life of an undergraduate student in UCSD who could benefit from mindfulness-based techniques for stress reduction, improving relationships, and managing competition. Setting up such a program for students required understanding the university's administrative structure, presentation skills, organizational skills, deep understanding of Mindfulness, communication skills, and understanding the unique needs of an educational setting. In my two year tenure at CFM UCSD, I proposed, curated, taught, and managed classes using mindfulness-based teachings designed for UCSD undergraduates and promoted research around the teachings. Even after I moved on to my next project, the program continues with other trained teachers.
My first association with this school was as a Ph.D. student and a simultaneous employee in the Computing Services or in the Executive Education programs as a Teaching Assistant. After graduating in 1992, my association with UCLA continued in various ways, may it be acquiring my Masters in Clinical Social Work in 1997, organizing book fairs for the UCLA Lab School for 4 years (2000 - 2004), or acting as an interim Executive Director of the Fink Finance Center at the Anderson from September 2015 through June 2016.
Mental Health Consultant from June 2004 to August 2005. In this capacity, I worked with individual students, held workshops, participated in panel discussions, wrote articles on mental health issues including stress and relationships. My informal job was to create a sense of community amongst the students and faculty. Later in 2015 and 2018, I again held workshops in ISB for stress management using Mindfulness-based techniques.
Faculty in Computer Information Systems from June 1992 to June 1993. I also organized the Information Systems Executive Education program the year I spent at HKUST.
Faculty in Computer Information Systems from June 1990 through June 1992.
I immersed myself in many worlds, the East and the West, the academics and the practical, logical world of computer information systems and the non-linear world of the human psyche, rational world of scientific theories and an emotionally intense world of art and psychology.