Raena Swami
XII B
How did DPS Dubai facilitate you in your path to self–actualization?
One of my earliest memories of DPS includes myself cluelessly gazing at three words printed on our almanac. ‘Service before self,’ it read. As a 5-year-old, I repeatedly thought about what these words meant, blissfully unaware that these three simple words would eventually transform into what I would align the purpose of my life with.
In 5th grade, DPS organized a trip to the Al Noor Centre. I agreed to the trip as an excuse to skip classes, but meeting people of determination for the first time set me thinking about inclusion. Following that, I started appreciating the significance of everything we did, from Sewa-Saturdays to mufti-days and cleanup-drives. Best-out-of-waste projects and themes during carnivals were much more than innocent fun. I had started appreciating the bigger picture: to instill the spark of transformation in us young minds. The TEDX I enrolled in during 11th grade introduced me to a new word, ‘paradigm shift.’ I read this word multiple times and eventually realized that this was what my purpose was; to create a paradigm shift in the world.
With the newfound enlightenment I acquired through ME presentations, I decided to spend my holidays volunteering at a special-needs center. The next few days followed a period of paradigm shift in my life. The people I met, the bonds we formed, and the lessons I learned there made me realize the beauty of service. That was the first time I realized what service before self truly meant: giving yourself away to others for their happiness without any genetic bond connecting you two.
With a rejuvenated spark to produce change, I started researching fundraising and advocating opportunities for special needs. I did online courses on communicating with people of determination and connected with them online and offline, each experience teaching me more about inclusion. On the day of our graduation, when we pledged to make the motto of our school our life mantra, I knew what my purpose was. With my eyes glowing with pride and tears, I took another pledge: to keep the spark of transformation burning and to remember the beauty of service, the beauty of dedicating and sacrificing yourself for a fellow life.
I first stepped foot in DPS in 2009 as a 3-year-old who knew nothing about purpose and service. But when I stepped out of our magnificent gates for the last time, I was a completely different person. One who was more selfless and willing to change the world. While scanning my RFID for the last time, the words of my ME teacher echoed in my mind, ‘You might think it is impossible to produce change singularly, but you can do anything you set your mind to.’ I left the gates of my school aware that this did not represent the end but marked the beginning of my journey to achieve my purpose, which I am so fortunate to have realized at an early age, thanks to the exposure that my school gave us from the very beginning.
