Abigail TerHaar

Age: 23

Home Town: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Education: BSc- Bachelor of Science, Political Science, Texas Christian University

Specific Field Interests: Education, Women's Rights, and Public Health

Placement: Sparsha Trust/Reaching Hand - Bangalore, Karnataka

Area of Focus: Public Health

Highlights: Abby is enthusiastic to explore southern India after previously living in Chandigarh and Delhi. Although she was raised in the uniquely homogenous Cajun culture of Louisiana, she has always enjoyed learning about diverse cultures- particularly working with refugees resettled in Baton Rouge. After working for the past year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in an Indian government school, she is excited to collaborate with Sparsha in order to work at the intersection of public health, child rights, and education. She also hopes to utilize aspects of her child rights curriculum, which she developed over the past year in Delhi. Her past experiences in lobbying, fundraising, and working, for the U.S. Congress, have taught her the values of patience and collaboration in order to create positive change. While in India, she hopes to see lots of pongols during Durga Puja, find exceptional momos (steamed, not fried!), and run in road races throughout the south.