In the morning of the 14th, we found ourselves walking the streets of Mumbai among crowds and – of course – humidity once again. We had the opportunity to visit a group of young girls in Cheeta Camp – a neighborhood located in one of the most unaided wards of Mumbai. We met with a fellow Michigan alum, who partners with various schools and organizations to teach programming to these girls and to cater to various social needs around the area. We were grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with these girls and learn more about the organization’s goals; it is always inspiring to see the amazing paths Michigan alum take after graduating.

Working with these girls was an absolutely wonderful experience. We showed them a Lego Mindstorm robot demonstration that they thoroughly enjoyed. We shared our own experiences being women in engineering, and discussed potential career paths for our respective majors. The girls were very curious about science and engineering fields, and it was amazing to be able to overcome barriers even overseas and connect with them. We hope to stay in touch, and collaborate with them during future trips!

After a delicious lunch, some shopping (of course!), and a visit to the grand Taj Palace, we met with Michigan alumni around the Mumbai area at an alumni mixer in the evening. We feel privileged to have been able to meet Mr. Chirag Doshi – the chairman of Walchandnagar Industries, who helped start the Michigan-BCA relationship. It is in large part due to his dedicated work that we are even able to conduct the summer camp at BCA each year, and it was wonderful to discuss our trip with him! We also had the opportunity to share our experiences with other Michigan alumni – it is amazing that we can shout “Go Blue!” and boast our Wolverine pride even all the way across the world.

And so another day went by, as we say goodbye to Mumbai in preparation for the next part of our journey. Next stop – Amritsar!