As a little girl, I was always told by my family that I was special and there was nothing that girls could not achieve. I have a lot of good memories of my childhood and growing-up days. I was the eldest of three children in my family and very close to my father, who was my idol. It’s amazing how things that happen to us in our childhood make us responsible in the later stages of our life. As I am writing this, some questions that do still not have an answer spring to mind; but these unanswerable circumstances have made my life an interesting roller-coaster ride.
I am Sandeep Kaur-Ghumaan, currently working as Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Delhi, India. This profession is my dream come true and I cannot express the joy and satisfaction that I derive from interacting with young minds at the university. I have been tutoring children since the age of fifteen and later young students during my BSc and MSc days and have thoroughly enjoyed doing this.
I started my formal learning at the age of three-and-a-half years, and the journey of learning is still on in my current job profile of teaching and research. I had a hard time during my initial years at school but when I was in the sixth standard (1991), things started to change. It has been an amazing experience since then in whatever I have managed to achieve in life so far. As a kid, I learnt new things from my teachers, from the books I read and by observing the surroundings and people around me. I was an introvert and loved Chemistry and Mathematics. My interest in Chemistry led me to pursue a PhD in Chemistry from IIT Bombay in India, followed by postdoctoral research at Stanford University, United States, and Uppsala University, Sweden.
Though life has not been easy and has thrown several hurdles in my way I am grateful to my parents, teachers and friends who have shaped my existence to live in this beautiful world. I am a mother now and hope that I can be an inspiration to my son and to my students, especially girls, to follow their passion in life.