In this episode of the JIS Podcast, hosts Morgan Banino (Middle School Vocal Teacher) and Mindy Slaughter (PIE Digital Literacy Coach) are joined by JIS Alumna Jyoti Rajan Gopal (Class of 1985) as they delve into an absorbing conversation about identity, multiculturalism, and what it means to be a third-culture kid. Ms. Gopal is a kindergarten teacher and the author of American Desi and My Paati’s Saris, “poetic and expressive” children’s books about South Asian children exploring their rich heritage.

Speaking to them all the way from New York, she gives us a glimpse into her own experience growing up and learning in different countries around the world, her time at JIS, and how her teachers helped her explore new interests. Listen along as she looks back at how her third-culture background helped her carve out a career in education, her unexpected yet “serendipitous” journey into writing, and how her daughter inspired her to write her first book.