Featured Alumnus
Robert Pregulman '74

Bright Grad Inspires Fourth Graders to Follow in her Footsteps
Students Raise Money for Schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan
By Kimberly A. Brown

 
(click on picture to view video)

“A penny buys a pencil.”

When Alizeh Ahmad, Bright School graduate and rising junior at GPS, spoke those words to Bright School fourth graders last spring, she had no idea what an impact she was making on a roomful of 9- and 10- year olds.  She began, in fact, a chain reaction – one that reaches from Chattanooga around the world.

Alizeh was visiting Bright for two reasons – one, honoring the memory of her friend and fellow Bright and GPS classmate Palmer Griffin who died of leukemia in 2007, and two, speaking to the fourth grade about Robin Hood, a week-long GPS service project, and the group’s intent to raise money for the Central Asia Institute.  The fourth grade play “We Haz Jazz,” was dedicated to Palmer’s memory, and the teachers wanted to incorporate a community-service project that was important to Palmer.  Thus, Alizeh’s visit and the beginning of Bright’s involvement.

The Central Asia Institute was founded by Greg Mortenson, co-author of the best-selling book Three Cups of Tea:  One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time to support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afgahnistan.  Mortenson’s book chronicles his failed attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain in the Karakoram range. The book’s title is derived from a Baltistan proverb.  The first time one shares tea with a Balti, he is a stranger.  The second time he is an honored guest.  The third time he becomes family.  While recovering in a village called Korphe, Mortenson met a group of children studying multiplication sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand and made a promise to help them build a school.

From that promise grew a humanitarian campaign that, as of last year, has created over 61 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, providing education to more than 25,000 children, including 14,000 girls who previously enjoyed few education opportunities. Thousands of children now have a chance for a better life.  According to CAI, it takes only $5,000 a year to support a school in Afghanistan or Pakistan, including all school supplies, maintenance and upkeep. A teacher’s annual salary is covered by about $600. And a penny buys a student a pencil.

“The dream of the Robin Hood committee and everyone at GPS was to raise enough money to build a school and fund its operating expenses for five years, ”said Alizeh.  “We wanted to raise $50,000, which seems like a lot for one week.  But, with a tremendous outpouring of support from the GPS community and others in Chattanooga, we were able to raise more than $60,000 for CAI to build an elementary school.”

Alizeh was able to present Robin Hood’s gift to Greg Mortenson in person when he spoke at an independent schools conference in Nashville last spring.  According to Alizeh, Mortenson was especially grateful that an all-girls school had spearheaded the extraordinary effort, since the primary focus of the foundation is to provide girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan with an education.

Educating girls and young women is important, since men often leave the community to find work.  Literate women help improve the health and quality of life of villagers.  Several global studies, including one by UNICEF, indicate that by educating a girl through the fifth grade level, three important societal goals can be improved.  One, reduce infant mortality.  Two, reduce the population explosion.  Three, improve the basic indices of health and life overall.  The CAI also considers education the best weapon against terrorism and the influence of Islamic militants.

When Alizeh shared the work of the CAI and Robin Hood’s goal, Bright students wanted to help.  Fourth graders raised nearly $1,500 for the Central Asia Institute.  But the inspiration didn’t stop there.

Enterprising fourth graders Garrett Erwin and Haden LaMance were netting a tidy profit from their recently-formed metalwork business.  Alizeh’s introduction to CAI led the two to designate a portion of the proceeds from their business to the foundation – a total of $230.00.

“We are so fortunate.  I really like my school, ”said Haden.  “We have books, pencils, everything we need.  Those kids across the world don’t have anything.  And, $10 here might be our allowance, but it is like $100 over there.  I wanted to give other kids some of the things they need to learn.”

Garrett agrees, and added that the boys hope to earn at least $500 to give to Central Asia Institute.

“It did my heart good to see Bright School alumna Alizeh Ahmad returning to speak to our fourth graders, ”said O.J. Morgan, Bright Head of School. “Not only did she broaden their awareness of what they might become themselves, she also showed them first-hand how they might do some good in this world.  I couldn’t ask for a better gift to the school and to our students.”

Alizeh, whose family is of Pakistani descent, visited Pakistan and some CAI schools in June to see first-hand the work of the foundation.

“It was amazing to look at the faces of the young girls as they sang songs for us, ”said Alizeh.  “They thanked us for being there, and thanked the Americans for their help.  The most touching experience was when one little girl, a fourth grader, stepped forward to give a speech in English.  She eloquently expressed her sincere thanks for being able to go to school.  It was very powerful, because that little girl made an effort to learn enough English to speak to us.  It is very unusual for a girl to have an opportunity to learn another language.”

Alizeh was touched by a discussion with the girls about their hobbies.

“In America, students would say they like to play soccer or baseball in their spare time, ”said Alizeh.  “These girls said their favorite thing to do is study.  It is hard to imagine how excited they are about gaining knowledge.”

The schools visited by Alizeh were elementary schools, through grade five.  But Alizeh spotted older girls in a covered outside area, with no walls.

“These girls had completed the fifth grade curriculum, but they still wanted to attend school, ”said Alizeh.  “They want to study further.  So, in some cases, grades 6, 7, and 8 can be added.”

Alizeh has a new goal.  She wants to raise $12,000 to add a second story to the school funded by Robin Hood.  The second story would provide classroom space for girls in grades 6, 7 and 8.  And it can be done for only $12,000.00.

Alizeh’s influence for good is only beginning.  The gifted teen was invited to attend a “Leadership and Global Engagement” conference at Brown University in August, after participating in an “International Relations” seminar at Georgetown University in July.

Just like her, dozens of Bright School children are developing passion, determination and perseverance towards goals.  Becoming citizens of the world is part of the foundation a Bright School education provides.

Alizeh reminds us all of the power of one person to inspire action.

The world needs more Alizehs.

Sit…Stay…Change Someone’s Life.

Most people who know Robert Pregulman (’74) are not surprised to hear that his work involves changing people’s lives.  After all, Robert grew up in a family that has spent over 50 years developing Siskin Children’s Institute and Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, improving the lives of people with special needs. As an adult, Robert worked as the Executive Director of the Washington Public Interest Research Group to improve the environmental and political landscape of Washington state.  However, it was when Robert made changes in his own life – with a new career – that he ended up generating life-changing work for strangers across the globe. 

On a trip from Seattle to Chattanooga in 2006, Robert and his wife Randy reconnected with a childhood friend who had started a successful home furnishings business. Robert and Randy thought highly of the quirky details and sustainable practices of their friend’s work at Stray Dog Designs.  “I knew that if I ever returned to work in the private sector, I would only work with an environmentally responsible business, ”said Robert. “Virtually all of Stray Dog’s products are made either from recycled or recyclable materials,” he continued. Thus, it was in 2006 when Robert and Randy joined Stray Dog Designs and began a West Coast office to fulfill their corporate mission: “A company that gives back grows a soul.” 

Stray Dog Designs has garnered national acclaim – with features in Oprah’s O at Home, Elle Décor, In Style, Domino, and several other design magazines – but it is their international impact that resonates most with Robert.  “I’m most proud of the fact that we are creating family wage jobs in parts of the world that are extremely impoverished,” he says. 

Each Stray Dog product is handmade by talented artisans in Mexico and Haiti. Although Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Stray Dog ensures each of their employees has access to health insurance and is paid well enough to support their families. Robert notes, “Like many other companies, we could save money by having our products made by workers who are paid pennies an hour…but we would rather pay more to ensure that our workers are treated fairly and humanely.”

In addition to the use of environmentally- friendly materials and the implementation of sustainable business practices, Stray Dog Designs donates a percentage of each sale to charitable organizations.  The impact of their global giving program reaches malnourished children in Haiti, dilapidated villages in Mexico, and abandoned cats and dogs throughout North America. Stray Dog insists, “Instead of a dog eat dog world, we’re working to create a give a dog a bone world.”

Each of us can play our own small part in creating such a world.  Robert maintains that his own path began with a love for reading, which he developed at Bright School.  “We spent lots of time in the library, and through that I developed a love for reading, which helped me to broaden my horizons by learning about things that were happening outside of Chattanooga.”  As Robert moves forward, he hopes other people will follow his own advice: “Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself by trying something new or doing something different in school, in your job, or in your personal life. It’s important to put yourself in situations where you might not feel comfortable or safe because it will help you grow personally and professionally.”