Chhavi Agrawal - Volunteer of the Month for Nov 2020
Please join us in congratulating Chhavi Agrawal for being nominated as Immigrant Services Calgary’s Volunteer of the month for November 2020!
Chhavi Agrawal immigrated to Canada in February of this year and has only been in Calgary for a short time. However, she connected with ISC shortly after arriving and jumped right into volunteering despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is a sign of her dedication to achieving her goal to work in the Calgary Education System. As a volunteer, she has used her previous experience from being a teacher in India to contribute to many volunteer initiatives across ISC. She has been an active community volunteer, helping out with various Outreach events. She has also contributed her time and skills as a teacher during ISC’s Conversation Circles, a virtual space for newcomers to practice their English. However, the main area where Chhavi has made an impact is for the Early Learning Across Cultures program. She has supported the program as an Assistant Teacher to the children during their Zoom classes, and staff, parents, and students alike have appreciated her help. Here is Chhavi’s story:
My name is Chhavi Agrawal. I am from India. I immigrated to Canada in February 2020. I have a master’s degree in Education (M.Ed.) and achieved 398th All India Rank in CENTA Teaching Professionals’ Olympiad 2015. I was a Primary School Teacher for more than 3 years in India and worked for Delhi Public School. I dealt with students of varied ages and was in-charge of the Examination department for academic year 2016-17. Also, I often organized events and conducted co-curricular activities with great enthusiasm and dedication. I was known for my sincerity and passion towards teaching.
I have been volunteering with Immigrant Services Calgary from July 2020. I got an opportunity to lead the Conversation Circles where I met other new immigrants and helped them to improve their English language skills. At present, I am volunteering as a Classroom Assistant to support the Early Learning Across Cultures Program which is designed to prepare Children (3-5 years old) for kindergarten by helping them improve their English Language and literacy skills.
I truly feel fortunate to be a part of ISC and will be happy to serve in future too.
Thank you Chhavi for your dedication. Here is what some staff at ISC had to say about Chhavi:
“Chhavi has participated in planning meetings for the Early Learning Across Cultures Program and shares great ideas. She is eager to use her expertise with our program. We are grateful to have such a talented teacher help us in every class. We look forward to her continuing well into the school year. She is continuing to help twice a week in our current Zoom classroom of Early Learning Across Cultures program. Children were drawn to her lovable and calm personality. What we truly enjoyed the most though was Chhavi will think ahead for things needed and shares her craft ideas and themes with the facilitators. She has done crafts, and songs and used finger puppets to engage the children. She is a great asset to our program, and thanks for all she's doing. Thanks, Chhavi we love having you in class.”
Darlene McLeod
Team Lead, Early Learning Across Cultures
“Chhavi was an incredibly helpful, reliable, and resourceful volunteer that both Sania and I had the pleasure to work with throughout our Conversation Circles series. Chhavi took initiative on various occasions and delivered exceptional results. Chhavi has an infectious enthusiasm for her work and for helping others, making her a true asset to the ISC team. She was applauded for her professionalism and energy by our clients, empowering them with guidance and encouragement in their learning journeys.”
Luisa Annabel Wiersma
Newcomer Planner
Sania D’Silva
Newcomer Planning Specialist, Settlement & Community Centre