Dan Van der Vieren: Raj Rawat is devoted to supporting youth

Why Raj Rawat would be a great choice for the Boulder Valley school board:

I met Raj when he came to Chinook West High School and spoke about his book, “Finding Your Everest.” I am the math teacher at the school, but during a one-week intensive elective course, I taught a class of six students enrolled in “TED: The Spreading of Ideas.” This elective involved students watching TED talks and reflecting on many “think leaders” of our time. As one of the assignments, I thought that the students would benefit from reading Raj’s book. They were extremely motivated to read his book because of the motivational components that resonated with them when he presented earlier in the semester. At the end of the course, the students were very inspired to keep pushing through towards graduation. Additionally, I read the book with the students so I could engage in a fruitful conversation about the content. At the end of the intensive course, Raj took the time to return to our school and reflect with the students about their hopes and dreams for the future. He is extremely devoted to supporting the youth of today, especially in Boulder, where strong leadership is important for a positive change. Raj is an excellent choice to have as part of the BV school board and would contribute immensely to the team.

I am very excited for Raj and the potential opportunity to influence his community!

Dan Van der Vieren