Rising Star student, Dhriti, lost her mother two years ago to cardiac sickness and epilepsy, at the young age of three. Just 20 days after the birth of her younger sister Aarna, her mom Jennifer passed away. Since then, Dhriti, her sister Aarna and her older brother Aadav have been taken care of by their aunt and grandmother while their father is unable to care for them due to an alcohol addiction. Dhriti and her brother Aadav attend school at the Rising Star Tamil Nadu campus and have found staff that love and care for them.
Rising Star Outreach Career Counselor and Alumni Coordinator, Blessey Carmichael, works with many of the students in India and gives insight into Dhriti’s life at the Tamil Nadu campus. She says, “Dhriti and Aadav [were] sent to Rising Star Outreach of India to have a good education, shelter and food.” 
As a student on campus, Dhriti has received much love and care from Rising Star staff. Blessey says, “Rising Star Outreach of India is nurturing, caring and sharing empathy and compassion. Rising Star Outreach of India is fully shaping Dhriti into what she wants to be.” Dhriti is only in 1st grade, but she has big goals for her future! When asked what she wants to become someday, Dhriti says she would like to be a doctor.
Blessey says Dhriti has also gotten stronger emotionally since her mother’s passing. She would often cry at night when she missed her mother. Now, she is a light at her school and is often seen with a beaming smile. “She’s pampered so much that she doesn’t have to miss her mother,” says Blessey.
She gets to learn and play at the Tamil Nadu campus with her friends. Dhriti and her brother Aadav receive incredible support from the teachers and staff at Rising Star Outreach. At school, they are encouraged to achieve their goals and experience life as kids that love to play. The staff that know Dhriti work hard to ensure she reaches her fullest potential no matter what challenges she faces.
Blessey says, at Rising Star, Dhriti “will not be left unnoticed.”
*Names have been changed in this post for privacy reasons
