Despite the odds against her, Aliza worked tirelessly towards her goals, determined to do something big. She poured her heart and soul into her endeavors, striving for excellence in all that she did. As the years passed, her dedication paid off in countless ways. Her eyes sparkle with a fiery intensity, revealing a sense of purpose. She is one of a kind, I mean, truly. 

It is a typical hot and muggy early summer Monday afternoon in Surkhet, Nepal. Aliza rushes to the Kopila Valley Children’s Home. She only lives 30 seconds away. As she enters the gate of the Children’s Home, she is hugged by her students for the evening. 

Aliza grew up watching the Children Home thrive every day as children grew up, transitioned out, and new residents came in. She is the type of girl who loves a job, and she loves to get involved with people who impacted her life. It is a natural fit for her to volunteer to give extra evening classes to kids at the home as she waits to start her higher education journey.  “Di, what are we studying today?” one of the girls with curious eyes asks her. Aliza answers, “We will be working on Math today,” and the girl scrunches her nose and leads the way to the study room. Aliza follows with a smile plastered on her face. 

As a child, Aliza knew her father to be abusive toward her mother and older sister. Her father was known in the neighborhood for his hot temper, drunkard habits, and abusive behavior towards her family. Every day, he would come home drunk, angry and frustrated. He would yell at her mother for not having dinner ready on time, and at her siblings and her for making too much noise. He would punish her mother, often resorting to physical violence. Her family grew up in a constant state of fear and anxiety. They never knew when their father would lash out at them, and they did everything they could to avoid his wrath. 

One day her father did not come home. The second day, again he didn’t come home. A week passes, and one more week. He never returned home. He ran away.

When Aliza was eight or nine, her older sister enrolled her in Kopila Valley School. A school built with bamboo and decorated with green and luscious trees allured her in with ample amounts of visions and dreams. “I joined Kopila Valley in second grade. At first, I struggled academically. Starting from the very beginning,  everything was new to me, but the willingness to make the most of it helped me get better grades.” She explains that she was not athletic, but academically she persisted to be the first in all her classes. And she did amazing! 

Aliza discovered her love for poetry and started participating in local and school competitions, where she impressed judges with her heartfelt words and unique perspective. She also joined the school’s debate team, where she learned to articulate her thoughts with confidence and passion. And when the opportunity arose, she signed up for a speech competition and wowed the audience with her powerful delivery and inspiring message. “My teachers and seniors would always push me beyond my limits. In every competition held, I was convinced to join. Maybe that is what helped with my communication skills and my adoration for public speaking.” But she tells us that one of her greatest achievements during her school days was the position of a Student Vice President. It taught her to be a leader. In Kopila Valley, she bloomed like a flower with every passing day. And Aliza grew into a beautiful mind in her own special way. 

When she finished her 10th grade, Aliza didn’t want to enroll in +2 Science or Management classes. She wanted to explore more, wanted to have options to choose from. After talking to many advisers in her life, Kopila Valley’s former Principal Naim Chaudhary recommended Rato Bangala School to pursue A Levels, a study course which offers options to explore many subjects. “I found it to be a perfect fit for me. I was not just taking Science or Management but taking all the courses so that I could find my calling.” By taking A levels, Aliza was provided  with a breadth and depth of knowledge in a variety of subjects, allowing her to determine her interests and passions in greater detail. 

“The only regret I have is I didn’t get to physically attend Rato Bangala School, as Lockdown [due to the COVID-19 pandemic] happened. If I had, I would have participated in extracurricular activities,” she remembers. Nevertheless, she gained critical thinking skills while studying at Rato Bangala School. Along with her academics, she also took on the Youth Ambassador position of She’s The First Organization, advocating for girls. 

When Aliza finished her A levels, she was certain she wanted to pursue further education. Her determination to do something big and worthwhile, with the opportunity and luck she was provided, helped her come to a conclusion. She wanted to study medicine. Why? “I was a very sick child, I also discovered I have many allergies. There are so many things I can’t eat like mushrooms and meat. But seeing my relatives around me suffer and die from not getting proper treatment is what encouraged me to enter medicine. I no longer want to feel helpless.” 

Pursuing medicine is not a cup of tea. Aliza took an entrance exam, and she didn’t make the cut. Some people might have been discouraged by this, but for Aliza, her failure increased her passion and infused it with persistence. She prepared to take the exam the next year, and she felt proud and lucky to pass and gain admittance to medical school. 

Now she tells us that she is weighing two specialty options: gynecology and neurology.  When she is not working her brain, for fun she loves reading, painting, listening to music, and writing poems. 

As we come close to ending her journey, FOR NOW, Aliza gives advice to her juniors,  “You have to work hard for everything, take one step at a time, and you shall find your way to success.” We are left with a legacy of inspiration, a shining example of what can be accomplished when one works hard. We can’t wait to see what greater things she goes on to do as a medical student. 

Scroll a little lower to read Aliza’s lovely poem for her mother, who is a true inspiration in her life. 

I want to know how you see me

Am I still the baby that you held in your arm for the first time?

Or I am the annoying girl who needed you all the time

Am I the girl who wouldn’t stop crying until she gets her way?

Or the girl who would throw tantrums all the day

People says that child is never a grown up in her mother’s eyes

I want to know if it is true

If I will always be a baby to you.

Do you still see me a girl who can’t tie her shoelaces

Or you see me as an ace?

Do you still see me as a girl who demands your attention

Or you see me as a girl who is annoyed by your affection 

Do you still see me as a girl who needs to be fed

Or you see me as a girl with a lot of ambitions in her head?

Mom,

I still need your embrace when I go to sleep

I want you to be there when I have a nightmare

And I can’t leave my mind bare.

I need you to be here with me 

When the world is really mean.

I need the comfort of your hug

Whenever I think that life sucks

I need to hear your soothing voice

When I am regretting over my wrong choice

I need to see you

Whenever I am feeling blue

But mom,

I also need you when I have all the luck

Or even when all the world is like a monk

To me.

I need you to be here

Right by my side 

Guiding me 

Through the full moon or the moonless night.

However you see me,

I will always see you as my angel

Who enables me to fight through the dark

Who inspires me to leave a mark 

In this damned world

I also see you as my protector, 

My mentor and an investor

Who invests her life in me 

So that I can be a conqueror.

I see you as a hero

Who wouldn’t mind taking an arrow? 

Through her heart for her children

Who keeps all her worries hidden 

To who knows where

So that her children would have days so clear

Without the speck of black cloud threatening to ruin their day

So that they get the chance to pave their own way.

I know I have never told you this

And might not even say to you in real

About how I feel 

But mom,

You are my rock

You inspire me to be a better person

And a better version 

Of myself.

I love you mom

More than anything in the world.

Without you, even the sun in the sky won’t be whole.

We are thrilled to have one of our very own Kopila Valley School graduates write this guest blogger series and share alumni stories! Anjali Karki graduated in 2019 and is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism along with a journalism career. We can’t wait to see what each of these world-changers does next. Follow us on social media with the series hashtag (#NarrateYourKopilaStory) for more about these young adults and their adventures.