Amelia Bronfman, Climate Change
Hi! My name is Amelia Bronfman, and I am the sixth Oberlin Shansi Fellow at Keystone! Oberlin Shansi is a program designed to strengthen understanding while building mutual respect between the United States and Asia through international exchanges. I joined Keystone as an Oberlin Shansi Fellow from September 2025 onwards. My placement is with the Climate Change program with Bhavya George, with a focus on the Climate Smart Schools project.
When I first arrived in Kotagiri, everything felt new to me, and I didn’t speak much Tamil. With the help of Anokha (Shansi Fellow on the Knowledge Hub team 2023-2025), Sophie (Shansi Fellow on the Biodiversity team 2024-2026), and many coworkers, including the climate change educators, I now feel at home here in Kotagiri.
My life at Keystone is very different from the life I lived at my college inOberlin, Ohio, USA. Surrounded by hills and trees, I feel peaceful even while waiting with coworkers for Gaur to clear road home. At Oberlin, I was always rushing and barely had thirty minutes to finish my lunch during busy workdays. At Keystone, I chat with coworkers during teatime twice daily and often share lunch together in a relaxed way. This office break time helps me connect with new friends and learn more about their lives outside work. Participating in Habba festival and BOT meeting in Wayanad made me feel like a valued member of Keystone community.
During my work on climate education projects, I have gained so much from grading government and private school assessments, data organization, and report writing.I have learned so much from watching and taking photos of Vidya and the Climate to change educators to lead lessons and interact with students in private schools, Sky Island sessions in Mandare and Chemmanatham, Sigur.
I am excited to lead English workshops and geology and soil of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve sessions soon. Before working at Keystone, I worked both as an English teacher and an Earth sciences and geology educator, so I am excited to get back into both of those passions.
One Keystone highlight for me ismeeting and becoming friends with the Climate Change Educators. I have learned so much not only about education, but about life while working with them. We have a language exchange where I will speak to them in English and they will speak to me in Tamil. I am so grateful to be their friend, I know that whenever I need help, I can ask them. I love listening to their stories both inside and outside of the classroom.
Another Keystone highlight for me is learning some of the local dances from my coworkers. Many friends made sure to show me the steps so that I can learn and dance along. To me, dancing is a really special way to learn something new about the Nilgiris while connecting with my coworkers.At Oberlin, I played classical clarinet in the orchestra and chamber music groups. Through dancing, I have found a new way to explore my love for music. Even though the music and dance moves are new for me, I feel invited and accepted as a newcomerto the dance floor.
The Keystone community has also been welcoming outside of work. Many new friends have gone out of their way to invite me to tea, lunch, their houses, walks, and even festivals outside of work. This sense of community has made me feel a lot more at home in Kotagiri. I can’t wait to see what the rest of my time at Keystone has to offer!
