Shikha, a native of India, has called the Bay Area home since age 12, but considers herself a Global Citizen at heart. Having traveled to 40+ countries, she has a mild obsession with travel, exploration and adventure. Through her journeys in the developed and developing world, Shikha has always come away with the same conclusion: we are all more similar than different, and what really differentiates us is opportunity, access, and infrastructure. If there was a way to change this, would we really be that different? Shikha graduated from U.C. Berkeley, with a B.A. in Psychology. She has worked both in the public and private sector, always with a connection to the underserved. Recently her passion to give back, coupled with her curiosity to find cross-cultural equalizers, led her to join Cisco’s Global Education Philanthropy group. Here, she experienced first-hand how access to quality education helps individuals from disadvantaged communities change their future and participate on a global stage. She sees a huge parallel between education and microfinance – both are empowering and sustainable change agents in breaking the cycle of poverty. Shikha is thrilled to serve as a Kiva Fellow in Kenya. She speaks Hindi and French and looks forward to learning Swahili.