A CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

So, where does my inspiration come from? It comes from my Nana (grandfather) Samuel Mahtab, and my Nani (grandmother) Promila Mahtab. My Nani came from a family of teachers and preachers and my Nana from an illiterate labor class. They have been citizens of this great land for over 40 years.

My grandfather, who has his PhD, served the nation by working for the Skylab program at the Johnson Space Center. When I was still a child he would tell me stories about himself going to school without shoes and in torn clothes and was hungry and malnourished most of his childhood. He told me these stories, not to make me feel bad, but to remind me how thankful I should be and that I need to always “pay it forward.”

My grandmother, who has her B.A . from India but re-trained herself as a Registered Nurse, has been helping her neighbors and troubled youth ever since I can remember. Even when it probably wasn't the safest – she once moved a homeless man into her home to help him get on his feet - she didn't care what anyone thought, as long as she was making a positive impact on her community. No one was going to tell her who she could or could not help… so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!