Strong-willed and determined, Jeeva is among the 25% of women who study law. Although the institutional odds are against her, she has shown herself as one of the most ambitious persons in the field.

Jeeva was raised in Chennai by her mother, older sister and brother. Coming from a maternal household, she grew up with an egalitarian family. Her mother taught her and her siblings that men and women should be equal; even her brother believed that he was no better than his sisters. However, throughout her time at government schools, she was told that girls shouldn’t study in male dominant fields like law. Even from her male relatives, she heard that women couldn’t lead.

In 2017, when she first started college, Jeeva joined the Sisterhood Foundation. Through the organization, she found a haven where people supported her ambitions and encouraged her to persist through every hardship. Fueled by her own experiences, she discovered the need for drastic change in the current status of women. “I would never go somewhere by myself.” She speaks on the fear she has of not being able to defend herself. “I didn’t know how to travel to different places by myself.” However, after forming a formidable kinship with the other sisterhood members, Jeeva developed more boldness. “If I can’t be bolder or braver, I will lose freedom.” With her newfound audacity, she decided that she couldn’t let society make decisions for her. For example, she criticized the practice of arranged marriages. “While it’s ok for family and friends to make suggestions,” she says, “No one should tell me who I should love.” At the annual women’s retreat, she met with girls from rural villages and shared the lessons and experiences she accumulated through her life and through the Sisterhood Foundation. Driven by her ability to influence others, she Jeeva knew that she could achieve great things in her life.

Since her time at the Sisterhood Foundation, Jeeva has opened her male relatives’ minds to the equal status of women. Today, Jeeva is studying at the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College. In three months, she will finish college. She is encouraged by her family and her Sisterhood peers to pursue her dream to become an advocat. Understanding the prevalance of domestic violence on women, she would like to be a defender against these types of criminal cases.

“The goal for women is to have a clear mind so we can figure out exactly what our goals are.” Jeeva speaks on the importance of having clarity; she values leadership and communication skills in order to achieve this. In addition, your own self, family, and society will improve as a result of having this clarity. As a message for girls throughout India, she says, “you must make your own decisions, you must defend yourself and your own interests.”