The Indian Cambridge School, a girls’ boarding school in Dehradun, proudly brings to you a brand-new series titled The ICS’s Inspirational Women, where we will showcase some of the most brilliant ladies who have made a remarkable impact on the world. 

The Indian Cambridge School, a girls’ boarding school in Dehradun, is bringing out a brand new series titled The ICS’s Inspirational Women! In this series, we will be showcasing women who have left an indelible impression on the world. At The ICS, we impart quality holistic education that is unbiased and value-based for the all-round development of every child, ensuring that each student passing out of the school is a leader who leads by example.

This is why we believe sharing the powerful stories of these women with our girls will inspire them, motivate them, and develop a refined competitive spirit, enabling them to take their rightful place in society as responsible citizens of the country and the global community. So let’s get started, shall we? But before that, let’s address the elephant in the room!

What is the motivation behind this series?

Best girls boarding school in Dehradun, The Indian Cambridge School’s introduction of “The ICS’s Inspirational Women” is our earnest effort to promote diversity and inclusion within our school community by showcasing accomplished women from various fields. We want to show our girls that success is not limited by gender. Secondly, the series aims to empower female students by providing them with inspiring role models who have made significant impacts in their respective fields. Thirdly, by exposing our girls to the achievements and contributions of successful women throughout history, we aim to broaden their knowledge beyond traditional classroom learning, reinforcing values such as resilience, determination, and excellence. This series aligns with our educational philosophy of holistic development and empowerment, and we are sure it will become a valuable tool for character development. 

It makes sense, doesn’t it? With that out of the way, it is time to meet the first woman we have chosen for The ICS’s Inspirational Women Series 1.

You are just your intelligence – Kalpana Chawla.

Born in Karnal, India, Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-American astronaut and the first woman of Indian descent to venture into space. With a background as an engineer and pilot, she held a Ph.D. and accumulated over 30 days of space travel across two shuttle missions.

While suspended in the weightlessness of space after her maiden journey as part of the NASA Astronaut Corps, Kalpana’s first words were, “You are just your intelligence.” Ever since she was a child, she had a deep fascination with flight and held pilot licenses for airplanes, gliders, and seaplanes. An adept engineer, she contributed to the development of the Robotic Situational Awareness Display, a tool facilitating astronauts in operating robotic arms, and tested space shuttle control software.

Embarking on her initial space mission in 1997 as part of the STS-87 crew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, Kalpana covered over 10.4 million miles, dedicating more than 372 hours to space. During this mission, her role involved deploying the Spartan Satellite.

In 2000, she secured her place on the crew of STS-107 for her second spaceflight. This mission, plagued by persistent delays and technical issues, focused on microgravity experiments exploring earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety.

Unfortunately, the mission met a tragic end in February 2003, as the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Kalpana Chawla, along with the other six crew members, was lost in this ill-fated incident, marking the conclusion of the 28th mission, STS-107.

Kalpana Chawla’s life is an inspiration to millions in this country and around the world because she had a dream and she owned her dream through sheer hard work and dedication, which is what inspires us at The Indian Cambridge School as well.

We teach our students to keep the biggest aspirations and dreams imaginable. At the best girls boarding school in Dehradun, we teach our girls that if they can imagine, then they can achieve. We give them a foundation—an unbreakable foundation of knowledge and skills that make them confident and capable of pursuing these dreams. Join us because admissions are open for the 2024–2025 session!