Abhinaya has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. Prior to joining GSoM, she worked as a Special Educator and an Autism Intervention Therapist in Bangalore and Mumbai. She is currently a High School Homeroom Teacher at Gateway. She teaches Functional Communication, MLU, ICT and ILP. She is also a part of the Grandstand Team. She is an ardent animal lover. In her free time, she likes to listen to music, write poems, play badminton, cycle, sketch, bake and watch thriller shows and movies.
Abhishek is a creative professional and passionate educator who leverages extensive experience in oversight of curriculum development and programs – aimed at promoting student growth and achievement in the Visual and Performing Arts. Abhishek received an MA in Art Education from Boston University through the Excellence in Teaching scholarship awarded by The Keshavlal Bodani Education Foundation. He is currently the Vice Principal and supports school administration, teacher development, student safety, school improvement, student transition, and mentorship. He teaches the Cambridge IGCSE Art & Design to high school. Abhishek enjoys traveling, watching art shows and theatre performances, reading, and having conversations over a cup of chai.
Adellina has been involved in the social and education sectors right since the beginning of her career. She has done her Undergrad in I.T. Engineering. It was during her pre-final year when she discovered her passion while volunteering at school and literacy-based projects in Dharavi. Prior to Gateway, she worked with both Urban and Rural areas for education and operations. Currently at Gateway, she is a homeroom teacher for NIOS and teaches Data Entry and English. Her recently uncovered pastime is dancing – she’s learning contemporary and ballet!
Aditi has a BTech degree in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay and MS in Environmental Eng. from the University of Michigan. She worked for 13 years as a design consultant in Urban Infrastructure.Following this, she studied again and moved to the world of Education. She has a diploma in Special Education (for Multiple Disabilities: Physical & Neurological) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
She is currently the Language Program Coordinator at Gateway and teaches Language in middle and high school. She finds her daily joys in working with her students and joining along as a tiny part, in their journey of self discovery!
She is also an author of children’s books and when in the zone, can spend hours and days lost in writing. If she really has time to herself she would love to cuddle with her family on the side-berth of a long distance train, and to imagine the stories of unknown places that whiz by on the horizon.
Akshay was graduated and postgraduate in occupational therapy (M.OTh) from Seth GS medical college and KEM hospital Parel Mumbai with Neuroscience as a speciality.
After postgraduate he wanted to explore the new eras of occupational therapy so had applied in different schools, set ups and hospitals Gateway was one of them, unfortunately there were no vacancies in Gateway so he joined the hospital set up.
After taking experience in different clinical set ups ( hospitals, institutions) of Neurorehabilitation (advanced in neurological condition) and government bodies, finally got an opportunity to work in a school set up of Gateway School.
Akshay is occupational therapist at Gateway School of Mumbai part of the sensory motor ( SM) team.
During free time he loves to go out for trekking, to watch suspense thriller movies and spending time with his friends.
Akshita worked in advertising for 5 years before she decided to move to education. She did her BMM with Journalism Honors from Jai Hind, Mumbai University. Prior to joining GSoM, she worked as a volunteer with an NGO called The Candle Project where she taught ESL to students from less privileged backgrounds. Through this experience, she discovered her love for education and took a giant leap of faith, which led her to Gateway.
Outside of school, she enjoys discovering new music, dancing like nobody’s watching her and going on solo trips without an itinerary.
Indulging in conversations with strangers amidst mountains and connecting with them over music gives her utmost joy.
Alisha has completed a Bachelor in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (BASLP) from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nair Hospital and a M.Sc. in Psychotherapy and Counseling from the Institute of Psychotherapy and Management Studies,Global Open University. Prior to joining GSOM, Alisha has worked at various hospitals, special schools, therapy and learning centers
as a Speech and Swallowing Therapist and Audiologist for over 12 years.
Alisha is a part of the Speech and Language team at Gateway, a PDP facilitator, a PDP coach and a part of the Grandstand team.
Alisha is a huge fan of reading psychological thrillers, loves doing read alouds and puppet shows for children, believes in the power of positive affirmations,loves travelling.and believes that Gateway School of Mumbai is her ” Ikigai”.
Andrea has a Bachelor’s in Management Studies under the University of Mumbai with a specialization in Human Resources. Prior to GSoM she has worked with a Non Banking Financial Company as a Learning & Development Coordinator. She has also interned with Air India and Door Step School, an NGO. Through some of these experiences, she discovered her interest in the field of education.
When not teaching, she enjoys photography; listening to podcasts; travelling with friends, reading books, and is also a history buff.
Anirudha Desai, a BAMMC graduate, seamlessly blends creativity into diverse projects. From excelling as a video editor to heading a creative department, he’s made a lasting impact on visual storytelling. Returning to his alma mater, The Gateway School of Mumbai, as an Assistant Art teacher, he nurtures the next generation’s creativity. Beyond the classroom, Anirudha is a devoted Marvel enthusiast and Formula One follower. His heart lies in filmmaking and photography, reflecting his deep commitment to visual storytelling. His journey is an inspiring fusion of creativity, education, and passion.
Apeksha received her bachelor degree in physiotherapy from KIMS College, Karad in 2014 and masters degree in pediatric physiotherapy from KLE, Belgaum in 2016. After finishing her college she started working for children with special needs and helped many special kids in achieving their goals. At Gateway, she is a part of the Sensory-motor team. She works extensively with lower and middle school students and is also a part of the Grandstand Team. In her free time, she loves to be outdoors and travel. She also loves listening to music and binge watching series.
Aradhana has a BSc in Occupational Therapy (Brunel University, London) and an MSc Cognitive Rehabilitation (University of Westminster, London). She has been working in the pediatric field for the past 6 years, starting in clinical practice and moving to special education in the last 3 years. Aradhana loves sensory integration and supporting students in achieving independence in
Activities of Daily living. Movement embedded learning is her latest interest!
She is a Sensory Motor Therapist at Gateway.
Her hobbies include painting, colouring, dancing to Bollywood music, and drinking a great cup of coffee!
Astha holds a Master’s, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a B.Ed. Before becoming a part of Gateway, Astha worked as a Psychosocial and Clinical Counselor at an organization working toward child protection and to advance children and women’s rights. She has also worked as a teacher in the past. Currently, Astha works with the SE team of Gateway as a Social-Emotional Learning Specialist. Astha is passionate about helping individuals by providing them mental health support and counseling.
She loves to play the piano, sing, and to jam endlessly to good music. Taking road trips, amatuer photography, writing, and having long conversations are also some things she thoroughly enjoys.
Benaifer has done her M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology and Post Graduate Diploma in Special Education. Before joining Gateway, she worked as a Special Educator with an EdTech startup and has experience providing remedial therapy in literacy and numeracy to children aged 5 to 25. At Gateway, Benaifer is a Middle School language teacher and occasionally takes language and remedial classes in Lower School. She puts her keenness for research and her love for language to use as a part of the FABLe development team. In her free time, she does animal rescues, loves reading a good book, and binging on true-crime documentaries.
Bindiya has a Ph.D. in Multicultural Special Education, a MA in Learnign Disabilities, and a BA in Psychology. She is very interested in
how language acquisition and development aligns with or impedes the devlopment of learning and skill acquisition. She is also intrigued by the intersection of context/culture and education. Her recent work has been with the coaching/traning of teachers, and how self-reflection plays a role in learning how to be a teacher. Prior to that, She has worked with students with learning differences
for many years.
She is the Individual Programme Coordinator at Gateway, and works with both students and teachers in optimizing learning.
In her free time, she loves to read novels, talk about philosophy/spirituality, explore educational technology, dinner with friends, her cats, coffee and sushi.
Darshana holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology from Mumbai University and has a B.Ed in Special Education from SNDT Women’s University. Additionally, she holds a Diploma in Arts-Based Therapy from SEEDS, Nirmalani Ketan College. She is also a certified storyteller.
Darshana has worked as a special educator at The Aditya Birla Integrated School, Hands-on Therapy Centre, and NEXT School before joining Gateway. She has conducted workshops for teacher trainees and shadow teachers who are undergoing Special Education training from different colleges in Mumbai. She conducts storytelling sessions for children in local schools that focus on social-emotional learning. She enjoys being a part of dramatic storytelling performances. She has been experimenting with shadows and object puppetry. At Gateway, she works as a Drama Teacher.
In her free time, she loves to read children’s literature, sip warm Desi Kahwa, talk to her plants, and go forest bathing.
Deon’s journey has been no less than a roller coaster ride; A sociology major from the Mumbai University grabbed the opportunity to work in a well known shipping company – JM Baxi for two years. After realising his love for meeting and interacting with people, he then switched to an interior firm – The Home Dressing as a project Co ordinator. After gaining some good experience there came a great opportunity which is none other than The Gateway Family. Initially in the admin department and in no time as a Job Coach!
His passion lies in Football, music, dance and moreover spending time around people and spreading good vibes! Gateway did teach him to be grounded, patient, learn and appreciate team work!
Ekta has a degree in B.H.Sc (communication and extension) After her graduation, she got a B.Ed. degree in special education from SNDT university. Prior to The Gateway School of Mumbai, she worked at Arya Vidya Mandir, Bombay Cambridge School, Mindtemple clinic as a special educator providing remedial education and assessments while working closely with psychologists and occupational therapists and creating individualized programs for her students. At Gateway, she is overlooking the NIOS program and teaching language. She enjoys travelling and music.
Frazer has a diploma in Physical Education. He is also a Certified D license Soccer coach from AIFF. Prior to The Gateway School of Mumbai, he worked as Physical Educator and Soccer Coach with D.Y Patil International School (Worli) .He loves Sports and teaching.
Madhavi has a diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery from Sir.H.N.Hospital, Mumbai. She also has a postgraduate diploma in Hospital and Health care Management from Symbiosis University, Pune. Prior to The Gateway School of Mumbai, she worked in different multispeciality hospitals as a critical care Nurse. With 16 years of working experience she has worked in different types of health care set-ups. At Gateway she plays the role of School Nurse. She enjoys non-veg food, listening to music and spending time with family.
Georgia has a degree in Ancient Indian Culture from St.Xavier’s College, Mumbai. She started interning at Gateway just after her graduation and fell in love with teaching and decided to take a leap of faith and follow her passion. She loves baking; from cupcakes to cakes and any sweet treat you can imagine.
Indrani has an M.Ed degree in Special Education from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. She worked for 28 years in the public schools in United States. She has seen special education evolve from teaching in separate resource rooms to collaborating and co-teaching with the content teachers in the classrooms. She joined Gateway in 2015 and currently works as the English teacher to 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students in the NIOS stream. In addition, she is the librarian and works with all children to ignite the passion for reading. In her free time, she loves to read, visit cafes (tea or coffee), hang out with friends, walk, and travel.
Jimita has a finance background but even has experience in teaching since the last 4 years. She has done counselling course from Heart to Heart Institute of Counseling. Before being a teacher, she has worked with financial institutions like JP Morgan and Kotak. She enjoys being with children and loves her current profile. In future she would love to be a dance teacher as she has done Arangetram in Bharatanatyam.
Juhi has done her undergraduate in Bcom from HR College, Mumbai University. While studying, she volunteered at Adapt, Navy Nagar and immediately fell in love with children which brought her to Teach For India, NGO. She taught 55 Grade 4 and 5 students with the purpose of bringing them the access to holistic and excellent education. During her 2 years at Teach For India, she taught Math to underprivileged children in a low income private school. Post which she spent a year coaching and mentoring teachers and leaders towards the same cause. Through this experience, she realised that she would like to delve deeper into teaching and learning more about special education, which led her to Gateway. She is a Lower School Homeroom teacher at Gateway. She teaches Math and MLU. She is part of the FABLe and Grandstand Team. In her free time, she loves to trek and travel. She loves dancing and doing artsy things. You will always find her learning about new things or planning for a trek 🙂
Kandice Caeiro has completed her Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Post Graduate Diploma in Montessori Education. Prior to The Gateway School of Mumbai, she has worked as a Flight Attendant and has also interned at an international preschool. In her spare time she enjoys reading and doing crochet work.
Khushal Chavan is currently working as an Account Assistant for Gateway School of Mumbai .He has graduated from St. Joseph College from Mumbai University. Khushal is confident in his ability to contribute to more knowledge and exciting work of GSOM and make an impact in his next position. In his free time he is a professional dancer in the dancing field.
Madiya first developed interest towards teaching during her undergraduate, She did her ECCEd and started her career at Podar Jumbo Kids as a teacher and slowly graduated to the role of teacher’s head. Madiya has Masters in English Literature from R.D National College, Masters in Commerce from Mumbai University and B.Ed from Bombay Teachers’ Training College. Prior to Gateway, she has worked with several EdTech companies and has more than 4 years teaching experience in mainstream. At Gateway, she is a Homeroom Teacher for the High School. She teaches Language, Business Studies and Life SKills. She is also a part of the Grandstand Team. Madiya is a nature loving person, in her free time she likes to go for treks, bake, spend time with her family, watch TV series and take long naps.
Mala has Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from Seth G.S college and KEM Hospital, Mumbai and has completed a Certificate Course in Sensory Integration from the University of Southern California, USA. She is a founding member of The Gateway School of Mumbai (GSoM) and joined the team in 2012. She has been practicing as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist since 2010. Currently, she works as the coordinator of our High School Adaptive Program that focuses on life skills and community engagement.Though she has moved to another role, Mala still loves to support the Sensory Motor team and is involved in their outreach endeavours. Mala loves to cook and spend time with her family.
Manika has her MA in Clinical Psychology. She is currently the Co-principal and oversees the admissions process. Manika works closely with the Social-Emotional team at Gateway and conducts individual and group sessions with students related to their social-emotional development, and supports teachers and parents with identifying and implementing child-specific behaviour support structures. Manika is an active part of Gateway’s outreach endeavors. Prior to The Gateway School of Mumbai, she worked in clinical settings providing therapy and conducting assessments. She enjoys reading and always has a cup of coffee in her hands.
Mariam spent 14 years as a television professional, with a focus on children’s content, before she decided to move to education to pursue her passion for teaching. She completed her B.ed. in Special Education (Learning Disabilities) from SNDT University, Mumbai after which she had a brief stint as a Learning Coach at American School Bombay. She joined Gateway in 2018 as a teacher, and continues to be passionate about teaching Language, as well as providing remedial education in language skills.
When not in ‘teacher mode’, she is most likely to take off on an exploratory road trip, with no fixed destination and a fully loaded playlist to keep her company.
Merin is an experienced speech language pathologist with a deep passion for working with children. Having served over 800 families of children with special needs in various organizations, she established her private consultancy, TalkWithMerin. Through home visits and online sessions, she offers personalized support to children and their families. At Gateway, she plays the role of a speech language pathologist and delights in collaborating with the Drama team, & contributing to grandstand. In her free time you will see her jump into different classes to observe and learn more from her colleagues. With a strong affinity for music, she enjoys dancing and singing.
Misbah completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Sophia College, Mumbai and her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from SNDT University. Throughout her education she had the chance to volunteer at various organisations like Cankids and AAWC and her passion to work with children started thereof. Prior to GSOM, she has worked in educational and clinical settings as a psychologist, conducting assessments and providing therapy and counselling. At GSOM, she is a part of the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) team conducting individual and group sessions with children related to their social-emotional growth and feels a high sense of belongingness to the place. She loves colouring mandalas, playing with cats and chilling at beaches. You will often find her carrying way too many things at once or a cup of coffee in her hands 🙂
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Nicholas Mohite completed his BA from The Wilson College. His life revolves around music, meeting new people and having good food. He is a self taught musician. Nicholas started his journey with MTV Nescafe Labs and has gone on to perform on national TV shows including ‘Kapil Sharma Show’. Over the years along with performing teaching different music forms has always been a constant for him. In the past Nicholas has worked with children at Antarang Foundation and at New Life Fellowship. Nicholas. Prior to joining Gateway, Nicholas was working as a content writer.
Nikhil graduated in 2009 from Commerce Stream from Mumbai University. Also he has done Diploma in inflight management & hospitality.
He has experience of 10 years and above in customer serives , banking & events. During his free time he likes to dance & choreograph.
Nikita Dhokale, B.E. E&Tc. Nikita completed her masters from TISS, Mumbai in Education. The critical analysis of education and development policy, curriculum, pedagogy, psychology, philosophy and sociology done in the course provided opportunities to develop as a reflective practitioner of education.
The role at Gateway is to teach Mathematics and ICT while learning and exploring EdTech to support learning and teaching processes in the school. The maths planning team and Hattie’s club for research paper reading keep me acquainted with educational research and advancements.
Creative and kind. Nikita likes to explore and appreciate forms of arts, culture, language, etc. by interacting with people, eating local food and learning folk dance to gain perspectives on living life.
Nikita has a degree in Ancient Indian Culture from St.Xaviers’s College Mumbai and MA in Sociology. Her internship at CRY – Child Rights and You provided her with a fulfilling experience working with children, which ignited her passion for education and child development. Prior to pursuing her B.ED in Special Education (Learning Disabilities) from SNDT University, Mumbai, Nikita interned at Gateway. This experience gave her insight into the teaching world for students with special needs and she always wanted to return to contribute to the vision. At Gateway, Nikita supports Drama, IGCSE and Lower School classes, fostering both creativity and academics. She also takes remedial classes for the High School Adaptive program. When not teaching, Nikita enjoys reading, listening to music and loves eating spicy food!
Nituna has a B. Com degree from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and B.Ed from SNDT University. She also did her Teacher Traning Course from from St. Margret’s College, Mumbai.
Prior to joining GSoM, she has worked with St. Xavier’s Boys’ Academy and D.Y. Patil International School, Worli in Mumbai,delivering ICSE and IB curriculum for over 8 years. Over the years in the field of eucation she has attended many courses and workshops like Making PYP happen workshop, Assessments in PYP workshop, Differentiating Instruction Word wide Harvard online course, Certificate course in Theraputic skills from Nirmala Niketan, Extensive professional development course on Global perspective and Geography from Cambridge.
She is working with Gateway since 2013, she taught IGCSE Geography to the first 10th grade batch as well as worked on developing the Science and Humanities curriculum. Currently she is the CIE examinations co-ordinator and overlooks the IGCSE programme, she also works with the curriculum committe, mentors content teachers as well as teaches IGCSE Geography and EVM.
She loves reading and spending time with nature and family.
While pursuing an undergraduate degree in Mithibai College, Mumbai, Pankaj volunteered as an assistant teacher at a special school. His volunteer experience was quite enlightening and wonderful. Since then, he has been interested in special education. However, at the time, he chose to pursue a different interest, so after obtaining a Master’s degree in English literature from Mumbai University, he spent the next few years working as an academic editor with Cactus Communications, a company that provides publication support services to the academe. Finally, however, in 2021, seeking work that better matches his values, Pankaj decided to apply to Gateway, impressed by the opportunities for learning and growth being provided by the school to not only its employees but also others through its outreach programs. At present, he works as a paraprofessional at Gateway, providing behavioral and academic support to one student.
Seeking a state of contentment in life, Pankaj wishes to strike a balance between pleasure, work, and love. Towards this end, he believes that his time at Gateway would be quite fruitful.
Pooja has her Masters in Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology from AYJ National institute for speech and hearing disabilities, Mumbai. She has been awarded certificates from the Maharashtra university of health sciences for being a merit rank holder in the state of Maharashtra during her final year bachelor exams. She is currently the coordinator of the speech and language therapy department at the Gateway School of Mumbai. Pooja has a keen interest in research too, and has presented papers in national and international conferences. Prior to Gateway, she has had an experience of working with many children with communication disorders and speech, language and listening challenges while interning with Pediatricians, Neurologists and ENT specialists in various hospitals across Mumbai.
Travelling is Pooja’s therapy!! She likes to quote the Dalai Lama ”Once a year go to some place you’ve never been before…”
Purvang has a degree in Mathematics from Hindu College, University of Delhi. Post the degree, he went into marketing and advertising but soon turned towards the education sector where he worked with Teach for India as a fellow. Post the fellowship, he did his post graduation in education from TISS, Hyderabad.
At Gateway, Purvang is currently a Homeroom Teacher where he teaches Mathematics to middle school, adaptive track and NIOS as well along with Data entry. He has an avid love for Mathematics. He is a part of the Social Committee at Gateway. Besides his job, you can talk to him about baking and investing in stocks and forex.
Radhika has a PhD in Special Education (Learning Disabilities) from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.Ed in Special Education, and B.Ed. in Special Education from SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai. She is a founding member of the Gateway School of Mumbai. Her interests are in teacher education, in developing systemic supports for supporting children with disabilities,and in how technology can be harnessed to optimise learning. At Gateway, Radhika teaches Language to the High School students,supports with teacher development, strategic planning, and with the research department.
She enjoys drinking coffee, a good book, and spending time with her family.
Reena received her Masters degree specializing in Human Resources from SIES College of Management Studies, Mumbai. She worked as a Human Resource professional across organizations in varied industries such as Retail, Travel and Education. Her stint in the last organization Retailers Association Skill Council of India (RASCI) exposed her to nuances related to academia such as skills development, curriculum and courseware development, training partner accreditations and learner assessments.
Her long time affinity towards contributing to children’s education led her to pursue Post Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. During this time, her keen interest in the subject of special education led her to take up an internship with Gateway School of Mumbai. She is now a high school homeroom teacher at Gateway. She teaches Home Science, Language and works with students on SLP. She is also part of the Annual Yearbook team.
In her free time, she loves to be outdoors, enjoys music and art. You’ll find her at the beach when she travels 🙂
Roldwink has done B Sc-IT (undergrad) from Mumbai University. He had the privilege to explore multiple instruments throughout his childhood. By 16, he had learnt to play the keyboard, drums and guitar – mostly learnt by himself. Although he was planning to pursue B.Sc-IT, during his college days, he took up part time work as a music teacher. His first teaching job was to teach Keyboard and guitar at the Academy of Music. He later joined Swirl Music and was part of its music programs across various schools in Mumbai. He took a break to explore other career options after a few years with Swirl Music, only to realise how passionate he was about music and educating the children about it. Here at Gateway, his role is to teach the joy of music to the kids. Apart from handling the music program here, he’s a part of the yearbook team. His interests also include photography, digital art, gaming and traveling unknown roads.
Ruchi received her graduation and post graduation degree M.sc (Textiles & Clothing) from Delhi university. After working in the corporate world for 8 years as Textile designer – traveling, exploring textiles in different parts of India and creating fabrics, prints, embroideries, she decided to take some time off to raise her kids. As now, she was spending all her time with her kids and kids around, she discovered a new passion for herself – teaching. To develop a deeper understanding in the unknown world, she signed herself up for a Post graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning for a year and developed insights in the teaching world. As part of her curriculum she was introduced to special needs space and got to know about The Gateway School of Mumbai. The Gateway school instantly touched her deep insight and she joined the school to enhance her learning further in this domain and teach students. At Gateway, she is teaching MLU to middle school students and Math to high school students.
In her free time, she loves to cook, read and travel.
Rudri has completed her Bachelor of Arts degree (Psychology majors) from Kishenchand Chellaram College, Mumbai University, followed by Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the S.N.D.T Women’s University. While pursuing her Master’s degree, she interned with Masina Hospital, Thane Mental Hospital as well as Shivaji Hospital at Kalwa as a Clinical Psychologist and gained
experience with testing and assessment, intervention programs, and therapies. Before joining Gateway, Rudri earned a professional degree of Bachelor of Education (Special Education, Learning Disability) and is an RCI licensed special educator.
At Gateway, Rudri works closely with The Maths Squad and supports with the maths curriculum design and implementation. She is extremely passionate about outreach and works on projects like Professional development programme (PDP) in order to support mainstream schools build inclusive practices. Her interests lie in exploring EdTech to optimize learning and facilitate inclusion for all students in the classroom. Rudri is an amateur cook, tech explorer, baby lover and an obsessive-compulsive chiller. She loves to watch sunsets and listen to Prateek Kuhad music.
Ruzin’s journey in the field of education began in 2003 as a preschool teacher in Gurgaon. Having a degree in Early Childhood Education and her interest and hobby in art helps her to teach young children in creative ways, which makes learning easy and fun for them. She soon realised that teaching young children was not just fun but it was very gratifying too. Over the years, moving to different cities in India :Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai and San Jose, USA, and working in different organisations, and interacting with people from different cultures has given her many opportunities to learn from different people and different settings. Although the majority of her work experience has been with young children, her last experience of working as a Behaviour Therapist In America, interested her to join, learn and work in the field of special education. She looks forward to working and learning at Gateway School Of Mumbai!
Safiya completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Anthropology from St.Xaviers College and moved on to further pursue her B.Ed in Special Education. While doing her B.Ed, she wrote a paper which got published in an international educational journal. Prior to Gateway, she also interned at B.D Somani School and JBCN School, Borivali. The pandemic was a great opportunity for her to also intern for various EdTech startups. She believes that she wants to do more than just write words or paint a picture that glorifies hurt, she wants to be part of the solution, the person who brings change and that got her to Gateway.
At Gateway, Safiya is a Homeroom Teacher for the Lower School and she also teaches Home Science to the NIOS students. Additionally, she is a part of the Fitness Week committee. When not teaching you will find her sketching, painting or waiting for the weekend to watch her favourite football team play 🙂
Sakina has done her Bachelors (B.Ed) and Masters (M.Ed) in Education from Pune University and MBA in HR from Ghaziabad Distance Learning University. She is currently pursuing an MA in Psychology from IGNOU.
Prior to joining Gateway, she worked as a teacher in Dawn Breakers High school, Nashik.
She enjoys spending time with her kids and doing crafty and artsy things. She likes Maths too!
Sangeeta has done a Master of Commerce from Mumbai University. She has been working with many different organizations and international schools like The Universal School, DAV International School over 11 years in the field of accounts.
Sapna has a MSc Psychology from University of East London. She is trained and certified to deliver the ASDAN Curriculum.
Prior to Gateway, she has had an experience in educating and training students and young adults with cognitive special educational needs, learning difficulties and mental health conditions. She has primarily worked in various schools in Dubai, UAE.
In her free time, she loves to dance and watch sci fi/fantasy series.
Sejal has a B.ED in special education (learning disabilities) from SNDT University. She also has a M.Sc in Electronics from Gujarat University. Prior to joining GSoM, she worked as a resource room teacher in an Army Public School, Ahmedabad. She is professionally trained in Abacus and taught abacus and mental Arithmetic for two years.
She loves to read and run. For her running is a stress reliever and helps her to disconnect from the world and just let it go!
Shalini has completed a Bachelor’s (BA) in Arts from SNDT University, Mumbai. She has been with The Gateway School and Mumbai since 2012. She started her journey at Gateway as a support staff and has been working as an Admin Assistant since the past few years.
Sheetal Waychal is a graduate from Maharashtra University of Health Science, India with a degree of Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in 2011. She has been practicing as an Occupational therapist for more than 7years. She has pursued her career in pediatrics, her domain is early intervention. She is specialized in Sensory Integration therapy (USA). Also trained in, Brain Gym, Handle Techniques and handwriting assessment and treatment. Along with that she is certified ChildBirth Educator (USA), She trains pregnant women for Ante natal & Post Natal care.
Sheetal is an animal lover and an animal rescuer, she loves to feed strays, which is part of daily routine 🙂
MA in Applied Linguistics & PG Diploma in Teaching and Learning + SEN. Shivani always knew her heart was into teaching, from an early age. Before joining GSoM, Shivani has contributed to varied assignments in the field of education for a decade now – Teaching languages, Teacher training, Language assessments, Right brain education, etc. Recently, she found her calling for Individualised learning, so she could cater to different learning needs in her classroom. At Gateway, she is a Homeroom Teacher in middle school and a member of the Yearbook committee. What keeps her engaged are the challenges and layered approaches in planning and executing lessons in the classroom, and the feeling of contentment that comes after successful learning has happened. What keeps her going are Food (especially samosas), Angry Birds game on her phone and Dancing!
Simrit has done her Diploma (D.E.D.) from Dilkhush special school Juhu. After her course, she completed a year long internship at The Gateway School of Mumbai and then she started working as a teacher at Gateway. She is also currently studying for her B.A. in Psychology from IGNOU. During her free time she likes to cycle and sing.
Smruti has completed her B.Ed. M.Ed.Integrated degree from Tata Institute of Social Science. Prior to that she completed her master’s degree in Applied Microbiology from Utkal University, Odisha. She interned at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai, and Somaiya School, Mumbai during her education journey. She is actively involved in providing students with an environment where they can attain both knowledge and skills, enabling them to meet their needs in everyday life. She loves gardening, and composting and is very cautious about plastic waste disposal and recycling. Donating plastic waste every month to ‘Project Mumbai’ is now a ritual for her. At Gateway, she teaches MLU and geography/EVM to middle school students. She is also a part of the fitness committee at Gateway.
Sneha has completed a B.com from Mithibai Motiram Kundnani College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. Prior to joining GSoM, Sneha has worked in administrative capacities at corporate organizations like Toyota, Associated Architects and International College of Financial Planning in India for over 8 years. She is an animal lover.
Sunayana has completed a Bachelor’s in Catering, Hospitality Management and Administration from Alagappa University, Mumbai.
Prior to joining The Gateway School of Mumbai, Sunayana has worked in administrative capacities at corporate organizations and in hospitality services, for over 6 years. In her free time she enjoys cooking and travelling.
Suneel has completed a Bachelor’s (BSc) in Science from Kanpur University, India and a Certificate Course in Hardware & Networking from Jetking Institute, Mumbai, India. He has been with The Gateway School of Mumbai since 2015, handling the IT department.
Suresh has completed a Certificate Course in Hardware & Networking from Jetking Institute, Mumbai, India. Prior to joining GSoM, he performed civil work for 13 years, and then worked in Technical Support for a year. He has been with The Gateway School of Mumbai since 2012, supporting its development since the early stages.
Urvi Sethna after completing her Bachelor’s in Fine Art in Sculpture from M.S University, Baroda, pursued and completed her Master’s in Fine Art, Intermedia from the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design (Czech Republic). She is a practicing artist and has been part of many exhibitions abroad as well as in India. She is the Art teacher in Gateway school, teaching across school. She has a hands-on approach towards artistic ideas and is always open to experimenting with different materials. She loves a good cup of coffee and travelling.
Urvi completed her Bachelor in Physical Therapy from D.Y Patil College of Physiotherapy in 2010. Urvi is a Certified Neurodevelopmental Therapist, C/NDT and trained in Sensory Integration (University of Southern California Certified). Her expertise is in Pediatrics and has been practising as a clinical therapist for 10 years. She is one of the founding members at Gateway.
Prior to Gateway, she worked with Sneh Rehabilitation Centre in Mumbai. She also ongoingly consults and has her private practise outside of Gateway. In her 10 years of clinical practise, She has conulted at private clinics across various parts of the city like Enliven, Ika Childrens Centre and Evolve Polyclinic
In her freetime, she enjoys watching movies, hiking and likes to travel.
Varsha is a founding member of The Gateway School of Mumbai (GSoM) and joined the team in 2011. Currently, she is the Executive Director and overlooks the therapies and the admin department.
She has completed a Master’s (MA) in Clinical Psychology from University of Mumbai, India and has recently completed her B.Ed in general education.Prior to joining GSoM, she has worked with a variety of non-profit organizations, corporate institutions and schools for over 6 years. In her down time, she enjoys reading, travelling and spending time with her family and friends.
Veena holds a Masters in Counselling Psychology from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and a BA (Hons) Psychology from Delhi University. She believes that people are the expert of their lives and have their own unique ways of responding to life experiences. Her approach involves curiosity to know more about these life experiences and supporting individuals to work towards social and emotional wellbeing. She has worked extensively with different stakeholders to facilitate social and emotional learning spaces and spaces catering to Mental Health for children and families. At Gateway, she is the Social Emotional Learning Specialist and works with all learners in different spaces. She also facilitates the Parent Support Group that happens every month. In her free time, she likes to draw, sing, and watch bollywood movies. Putting on nail polish is something that helps her relax and feel calm
Vikas has completed his B.P.Ed. from Mumbai University and is a certified ‘D’ licence holder from AIFF. He is a Maharashtra Road Safety Patrol and Civil Defence Officer. Prior to The Gateway School of Mumbai, he has worked with many institutes and international schools over a period of 9 years as a Physical educator, Football Coach and House parent. He was Head of delegation for U-19 Football boys (2018-19) in School Games Federation of India (SGFI Nationals) from International Board Schools sports organisation (IBSSO) held at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. His U-19 Girls was Runners-up at West Zone CBSE Clusters in the year 2012 – 13 and they qualified for CBSE Nationals held at Greater NOIDA.
At The Gateway School of Mumbai, Vikas is working as a Sports Coach. He maintains a passion for teaching children the significance of lifelong learning,health and fitness.
Vishakha works as a high school homeroom teacher at Gateway. They teach Painting, English, Business Studies and Life Skills to the students here. Before this, they did the Teach for India fellowship where they taught at a low income public school for 2 years. They also set up a community center cum library in the community which they continue to run now. They believe that education can act as a tool of sustainable, systemic, social change. With this philosophy, they view their role at Gateway as a tool to create empathic, critical thinkers of tomorrow. In their free time, you’ll find them reading poetry or rewatching the final season of Euphoria yet again.
Zeba has completed her M.A. in English Literature and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) from Mumbai University. Prior to Gateway, she worked at Hill Spring International School for 5 years. Zeba explored learning beyond the curriculum while mentoring students for the World Scholar’s Cup, a global debating tournament. In June 2017, she volunteered at government schools in Sri Lanka, conducting after-school Language enhancement programs for high school students. This experience motivated her to co-found a creative writing workshop – Wordsmith’s Wizardry, in the following year. She is curious about innovative learning strategies which encourage the use of hands-on activities, development of 21st century life skills and global citizenship among students.
In her free time, she loves reading sci-fi and thriller novels, binge watching reality TV shows and over-indulging in all things made of chocolate!