Elizabeth Sholtys

Originally from Ithaca, NY, I am a recent graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, GA with an anthropology major and sociology minor. From 2001 to 2003, I attended the Mahindra United World College of India, which gave me the opportunity to work with these so-called "rootless and roofless" children when I began volunteering at a home for rehabilitated railway kids in Vikhroli, Bombay in 2001. During the summer of 2004, the three intense months I spent in Bombay doing social documentary photography and ethnographic research about the health risks and availability of health care for street children allowed me to develop close relationships with many of the kids and a more complex understanding of the problem, while strengthening my motivation to make this program happen. It has been a long, often pothole-laden road since those experiences that initially inspired me, but as you might imagine, it has all been 150% worth every headache and unexpected delay - we now have a group of kids more amazing than anyone could have ever hoped for!

For the past couple of years I have been alternating between my "normal college student at Emory" and "director of the home and pseudo-mother of many children in India" personas, with some overlap of roles during the exciting (read: insane) semesters when I am fortunate enough to experience the challenge of being both simultaneously. I am back at the home full-time working on various aspects of setting up a long-term AIC Emory branch, creating newsletters, applying for grants, and perhaps most importantly, general fundraising for AIC's eventual goal of buying a house that will be ours permanently.

On an unrelated note, when I'm not involved in AIC-related affairs, I can generally be found working on photography, being nostalgic about Ithaca, reading (Paul Farmer! public health!), rescuing kittens, spending time with my friends and family, traveling, studying vocabulary/etymology/Marathi (local language in Pune), or participating in other service projects around the world.

Thanks for your interest and support!