SMARTJOBS
Laxmi Parathasarathay was recognized as one of Canada’s 20 top youths in 2008.
then distributed to libraries, schools and businesses across Malvern. Laxmi says the effort has paid off, with the Toronto school board asking her team to expand their distribution this year to other neighbourhoods bordering Malvern. “Recognizing what you can do within development but us-
ing the media as a means for it, I realized how effective it was and how enthusiastic I was. It just felt really right. It felt like I’d finally connected everything I’d been doing in my com- munity,” she says. Laxmi completed her undergrad studies in 2010, graduating with a combined bachelor of po- litical science in developmental studies and communications. It was here that she pinpointed what she really wanted to do in communications, espe- cially through her experiences in Kigali. “Regardless of whether I am in Malvern, Toronto or Kigali,” she explains, “I’m using the media as a tool for development and social
change.” Currently, Laxmi is completing her master of science at the London School of Economics, a one- year intensive program in media communications and development. She’s undecided on her master’s topic, but would like either to highlight her community in Malvern or explore the use of radio for development
in an area of India. No matter where she goes in the world, Laxmi retains a strong connection to the place where her interests took root.
Above: Instilling pride in the young.
She’s still MY ROOTS editor-in-chief and is constantly looking for ways to apply her knowledge to the paper she worked to create. She wants to use the skills acquired at LSE to determine if her newspaper is accomplishing its goal of giving youth confidence in their community. “I want to say this is what we set out to do in Malvern and
we are actually accomplishing it,” she says. “My community is very important to me.”
S
Connecting with Kingali kids.
Using the tools of social change in Kingali.
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