Neena Kedia Mohanka is a long time resident of Massachusetts. She has worked in the customer service field for many years . She is married to Niraj Mohanka (an Engineer and world class Indologist) and has three children Vickash, Arya and Jayent.
She has been a volunteer for India Society of Worcester for the last 15 years and has held different roles including the India Center committee chair amd India Youth Group Advisor. She has also taught Hindi at ISW Cultural School (15yrs). She has volunteered extensively for the Shrewsbury school, Boy Scouts of America and other organizations.
She is a town meeting member for the town of Shrewsbury and Chair of Shrewsbury Cultural Council.
She is currently acting as the interim President of the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) and helping lead the team.
What was you motivation to join IAFPE?
After volunteering for ISW for many years I was looking for a change - A different organization with different audience and different goals. I have seen past leaders of ISW heading the Forum in the past and seen the forum do very good things in the area of politics. Hence I decided to get involved.
What is most significant impact of IAFPE?
The most exciting program the Forum does is offer the youth an opportunity to do a summer internship in the State office. There are several youth of the Indian community who have benefited from this program.
What are your plans for the growth of IAFPE?
This year our goal is to offer 5 youth from Indian community the summer internship and host some informative sessions on the workings of local government. There are many leaders of the community who believe very strongly in the existence of the Forum and we would like to keep everyone involved in the Forum activities so, we all feel connected.
Why is important for South Asians to get involved in local politics?
I started learning about the local government only after I became the Town meeting member and it has been an eye opening experience for me. I learned the true meaning of a government for the people, by the people and of the people. In this system, we have a voice, we have an opportunity to truly make a difference specially at local level.
Any special message for the community?
Although we have been told that there is lot of power in one and of course we can take the initiative to make a change But we really cannot achieve great things alone. We all have strengths and weaknesses. If we can just concentrate on each others’ strengths, working together may not be as hard.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
|
