« Back to news  MPP student Pallavi Shukla builds a school in
Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh  Pallavi Shukla  Pallavi Shukla
Thursday, January 5, 2012  Durga, the Hindu goddess of power, is
often depicted mounted on a tiger, her eight arms loaded for
bear with a trident, a sword, a thunderbolt, a spear.... Some
say this powerful goddess was born of the gods' fury over an
illiterate demon who was wreaking havoc on Earth. Pallavi
Shukla's first student, was named Durga. Ironic, says Shukla,
since Durga couldn't write the alphabet when they started. "She
was a great student, and she picked up everything very quickly,"
Shukla explains, "but she'd had a spotty education and needed to
get back on track."  Just out of college, 2011 Riecker Fellow
Pallavi Shukla found a job in New Delhi developing patches for
Microsoft. As an electronics and telecommunications engineer,
the work was ideal. But it wasn't enough for Shukla, who loved
working with people, and wanted to get out from behind a desk
and do something. Education,