I was born in India, educated in a catholic convent which shaped my early years, and later obtained an undergraduate honors degree in Economics from Delhi University. Education continued post-marriage with an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, of which the second year was completed primarily in London with courses at the London School of Economics and City University of London. A second Masters degree in Integrative Health formalized a longstanding interest in natural approaches towards the healing and management of chronic conditions. I have lived in Singapore, the UK, and am now a US citizen, resident in Los Angeles for the past 2 decades. The exposure to many cultures, religions, ethnicities, taught me to stretch beyond the confines of the beliefs I grew up with in order to see, understand, and value the beauty in diversity as well as to look beyond the differences to find the one-ness in humanity. Biases are born through conditioning - social/cultural/religious/economic - and both fear and self interest play into them. For myself, a major contributor to growth has been an endless curiosity/interest in the world, and in people, that has afforded the flexibility to constantly re-evaluate/adapt my mindset, to rebel against outdated paradigms as well as complacency/rigidity of thought. I bring to the table a genuine interest in international affairs and a well travelled, open mindset to issues.