20 for 20: In Conversation with Usha Varanasi, SGS Advisory Board Member and Inspiration to All

I was approached over 20 years ago by Karen Lane (one of the founders), back when Seattle Girls’ School was still just a concept. They wanted to talk to me about the idea they had of establishing a private middle school that would create a safety net for students of this age to feel completely confident in themselves before going to high school. The concern was that, during these formative years when middle school-aged girls could have been developing academic interests and knowledge, they were losing this passion, and starting to believe that being popular was more important than being smart. Seattle Girls’ School would aim to be a place where they could safely gain self-esteem and the ability to excel in diverse subjects, including STEM, which would carry with them throughout the rest of their lives, and they would be prepared to choose any career they wished. I joined SGS as an advisory board member and actively remained on the board for ten years.

The concept of women empowerment is something that had been instilled in me from a young age. I grew up in a small village in India, and I really loved studying math and science and had an interest in detective stories. I was teased quite a lot about being a bookworm and at this time, when I was about 8 years old, my unconventional grandmother told me something that has stuck with me for my entire life. She said, “Usha, you have to choose if you want to be a leader, or if you want to be a follower. Leaders may be teased and criticized, but they make a mark. 5% of people are leaders, and the other 95% talk about them.” These words have never left me and continue to influence my life today.

Later on, I moved to a big city and got admitted into an all-girls’ school. The principal here, Miss Nalini Kanuga, was a unique person similar to Marja Brandon, the first head of school at SGS. This principal was also invested in making a positive impact on the lives of her students. Ms. Kanuga told us, “Girls can do everything that boys can do, and they can actually do it better if they put their minds to it.” She encouraged me to go into the sciences, which I did. What I discovered was that science was like a detective story; you observe clues, collect data, and then write the paper. My original dream had been to be a writer, and I found that I could be a storyteller of science.  

At this school, I never had to worry about how I looked or who liked me or if I was popular. It allowed me to focus on developing myself as a human being, leader, and scientist without worrying about being a woman and what that meant of the time, which was over 60 years ago when women’s roles were predominately mother and wife. This early experience set the tone for me, and certainly influenced my SGS involvement.

I was able to finish high school with distinction, and then go to a good college. I noticed that some boys in my class were going to the United States to continue their graduate studies, and I thought, “Why can’t I do that?” So, I talked to my two mentors, my grandmother and my former principal who convinced my father to let me go, but only if I received a scholarship from a good university. I was admitted to California Institute of technology (Caltech), and I wrote to the dean asking if they would be able to offer me a scholarship so I could attend. And they did! So, at the age of 20, I was flying in an airplane for the first time to the United States.

When I got to Caltech in 1961, this was only the second year that Caltech was admitting women students in the graduate program. I was also the first Indian woman to join the college. It was tough, but there were so many great opportunities and wonderful scientists around me. I also happened to meet my future husband Rao Varanasi there on the very first day I arrived. After graduating with M.S. from Caltech, Rao convinced me to get my PhD in chemistry from the University of Washington (UW) because he was doing his Ph.D. there. It was here that I found a powerful mentor in my PhD thesis advisor. From him, I learned that when you gain mentors that help you, you can pay this forward by mentoring others, but you should also pay it backwards and stay connected with these mentors. Seattle Girls’ School is my way of paying homage to my early mentors with whom I formed lifelong connections.

I believe that we need to encourage young girls and women to be strong leaders because even now in this most developed western country, women are still viewed from a limited perspective. When I heard about the idea for SGS, what I liked so much was that it wasn’t just about making students into scientists, engineers, or technologists; it was about giving them a chance to be leaders. They also wanted this school to be accessible to as many students as possible, no matter what class, economic strata, or culture.

When starting to develop the principles about what and how they would teach, Marja said something that struck a chord in me. She explained that at the school, students would focus on gathering facts as scientists, develop the ability to synthesize the information, and then effectively communicate it. With any subject, if you want to be a leader, you should be doing your own observing, synthesizing the information, and then communicating the information in a way that makes an impact.

One thing I have learned in my life is that there is nothing wrong with being happy or finding joy and being excited. I believe that the universe adjusts to our good thoughts and goals. Inner happiness is something that keeps you going. You must live what you believe. And confidence comes from having faith in yourself and realizing that being happy is not selfish. If you are not happy with yourself, you will not make anyone else happy. I am an outlier, but you must learn that it’s okay to be a little bit eccentric. I have reveled in my own uniqueness.

I would also say to pick your battles. There are so many biases and so many challenges that women and minorities face. Don’t take on or worry about every one of them. It is not worth your time. But if the issue or bias/prejudice is a big one that is important to you, don’t allow yourself to ignore it. You should stand up for your values, and SGS gives students the tools and confidence to stand up for what is important to them.

I hope that SGS students will continue to celebrate themselves and the world around them, and that they will not hesitate to consider important questions. I also have a personal desire to see more environmental leadership and young leaders standing up to care for the planet, and I believe those leaders could come from Seattle Girls’ School.