Bhavana Chilukuri graduated from the University of Maryland with double degrees in Economics and History in 2007. During her college career, she had the opportunity to travel to the Gulf Coast to volunteer as part of a Hurricane Katrina relief team, where she learned that the most powerful kind of change can only be made at a grassroots level. This event, coupled with her desire to truly understand and experience India, drove Bhavana to become an Indicorps fellow. During her fellowship year, Bhavana focused on designing a curriculum that bridged modern pedagogy with traditional tribal culture while working with teachers and students in Aghane village, a place that became a second home to her. The fellowship year fundamentally changed the way Bhavana viewed development and allowed her to gain a deeper appreciation for everything India. Post-fellowship, Bhavana earned her master's in international development from Johns Hopkins SAIS. She hopes to work and live in India again in the future.