Women have proven time and time again that when given the opportunity, or when they’ve created the opportunity for themselves, they can certainly rise to the occasion and lead with respect, empathy, and understanding. Be it in the field of politics or the field of education, women leaders have shown the world, how it must be done. Thereby, emphasizing on many such women leaders who have excelled as educational leaders, giving back to the education sector and society at large, this issue is a tribute to such stalwarts, who have dedicated their livelihoods towards societal upliftment. Talking about one such leader, who motivates and guides everyone around her, preaching the need for constant updating of skillsets – Dr. Meenakshi Annamalai, operating as the director at Karpaga Vinayaga Educational Group involves herself along with her team in converting today’s students into capable professionals and leaders of tomorrow. Starting on her educational journey in the year 2002, Dr. Meenakshi along with her husband Dr. Annamalai Regupathy dreamed of an institute that caters to today’s minds and since then, has progressed in that very direction, giving students educational experiences filled with learning and growth. Also, coming from a family of philanthropists, she has founded many outreach programs, women empowerment cells, Go Green Cells, and so on, and takes part in providing many scholarship opportunities to students coming from economically weaker sections of society. In addition, reaching out to the rural crowd being the main aim of founding the group in a rural setup, she believes that service has to be a part of our daily life, helping the nation progress each and every day
Creating legacies with actions Heading the parade of the educational group as the head of affairs, her administrative role takes her beyond her office, and into the classrooms and staff rooms, encouraging everyone present on the campuses to outperform in all walks of life. From bringing in emerging courses to signing MOUs with top universities and industry giants, she motivates a lot of endeavors happening at KVCET, working with the team day in and day out to get the best out of everyone. Year after year, involving herself in benchmarking anything and everything at the educational group, she always pushes towards accreditations and affiliations, in turn, resulting in constant appraisals & a lot of feedback from the industry and parents. Also, regular attempts are being made from her end, with an aim to improve the overall quality of the organization, always trying to give better the next time. An extremely positive personality, she gave in her best during the pandemic and the lockdown, to enable smooth functioning of teaching-learning. Realizing the importance of maintaining the efficacy of the institute irrespective of the medium of teaching-learning used, a lot of online activities were started under her supervision. Be it online mentoring sessions or counseling, students were always the center of attention at KVCET, and under Dr. Meenakshi’s leadership will continue to be so, considering the current situation of high uncertainty revolving around the educational aspirants across the globe. Additionally, she organized many projects in AI and Robotics on the campus and the renowned Toastmasters club was effortlessly moved online. Treating the whole pandemic scenario as a once in a lifetime opportunity for all, Dr. Meenakshi stated – “It was an opportunity for everyone to learn and grow, considering the ease at which communication happened, resulting in learning and gaining each day, converting into more holistic personalities”.
Reshaping perceptions
Emphasizing the importance of family and loved ones in the life of a professional who dreams big, Dr. Meenakshi, added – “Support from near and dear ones is very important for both men and women, and it has to be appreciated with gratitude always”. Furthermore, being a personality who was an excellent academic from her early age, she has many degrees credited to her name, among which a doctorate in Marine Biology is the icing on the cake, she also had the honor receiving The Edupreneur Award from the Times of India, for her exemplary commitment and impactful positive contribution to education
All in all, being that go-to person in KVCET, for students or staff to reach out to in times of need and despair, she has been a literal support system for 1000s on the campus. Along with being an educationalist who inspires many livelihoods, her all-rounded abilities also pushed her to pursue her passion for writing, serving as a columnist in a vernacular newspaper. Taking complete inspiration from her father-in-law, who is known for his philanthropic works and beyond, she looks forward to striving on the same lines, progressing towards helping society one student at a time.
