April 21st: Pranav Govindarajan

The gratitude reflections of Ambassador Pranav Govindarajan of Holliston remind us of the various ways we can be envrionmental stewards -- through service, education, and respectful exploration of our natural environs.

His #351GratitudeMoment beams with examples of where -- and from whom -- he finds inspiration this Earth Week: "My Dad has had a major influence on me. He is very kind and has been a huge inspiration. His emphasis on hard work, kindness, and perseverance has propelled me to give my best in everything. I want to be just like him.

He has never forgotten where he came from and continues to work hard. During our recent visit to India, my dad took us to his school. There were not enough classrooms to hold everyone, so the students had to study outside, under an arched roof. They did not have access to clean water.

My dad always finds ways to give back. He installed a water filtration system in the school so that the students could drink clean water. His quality of giving back to the community has influenced me to be just like him.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Jaime Cutone and Mr. Ryan Venditti for leading our Robert Adams Middle School Student Leadership Team.

Together, we work on with ways to help the school community. For example, we're currently working on a composting project that makes our school more environmentally friendly.

In this process, we're educating our student community on the benefits of composting and what can and cannot be composted. Anything we can do to bring awareness about going green is invaluable.

Finally, preserving nature is important so that all of us can enjoy the beauty that our earth offers. My family loves hiking and we try to visit as many waterfalls as we can during our trips!"