Sanjoli Bannerjee believes in walking the talk when it comes to raising awareness about the issues that are closer to her heart. This 24-year-old student of the University of Wollongong (UoW), Australia, has been accompanying her parents to protests for social causes since she was five.
Born and brought up in Haryana, currently, Sanjoli is pursuing Master of Social Work (MSW) at UoW to pursue roles in health and community services in India and abroad. “While I was pursuing graduation, I realised that raising awareness about the issues affecting society is not just an interest or a hobby, and I want to pursue it full-time. I wish to dedicate my life to the service of people,” says Sanjoli, adding, “I want to make an impact and be a part of the process where people are empowered as individuals.”
Her father started the ‘Save Daughters’ campaign to raise awareness against female foeticide and Sanjoli became an ambassador for driving social change through activism. She visited a refugee school while attending a Harvard Conference in Kuala Lumpur, studied in the UK on exchange and got introduced to spirituality in the same year. “Since then, I never looked back and gradually took over the leadership of the organisation,” adds Sanjoli.
She has also established a free mobile school in rural Haryana, the state where she was born and raised. “Borders are not able to restrict like-minded people who prefer to volunteer with the organisation. Over 300 people are members and volunteer whenever the need arises,” says Sanjoli, talking about how she manages her studies and the organisation’s work at the same time. She attended St Theresa Convent School in Karnal and studied humanities; both her parents are teachers who taught her to stand up for her beliefs.
Studying social work for two years helped her understand how systems and larger institutions oppress individuals. “I have the knowledge of the macro level and micro level processes and hope to work with the United Nations one day on human security,” adds Sanjoli, who pursued graduation in Bachelor of International Security Studies at Australian National University, (ANU). After her graduation, she wanted to pursue Master’s in Public Policy in the Netherlands as that would have allowed her to realise her dream of working with the UN, but due to the pandemic she had to decline the offer.
“UoW is a pocket-friendly and young university that acknowledges the students’ voice. Also, Wollongong is a coastal city with a proximity to Sydney, which is an advantage,” says Sanjoli. These are the factors to be kept in mind while zeroing in on the city and university for studying abroad. In the past, she led campaigns on mental health, menstrual hygiene and promoting holistic education across various cities in India. Now, Sanjoli plays an important role as a student representative on various committees in her university, volunteers with local organisations and has been an active participant in addressing issues faced by international students by regularly collaborating with local media outlets in Australia.
Her advice for students wishing to study abroad is to remain flexible and open to experiences and find the right balance between studies and other opportunities that universities provide through volunteering, being part of clubs and councils, engaging with the local community and being part of the experience.