Meet Suhani Jalota

Suhani Jalota is leading a silent revolution to uplift and empower millions of women living in India.
 

Growing up in small towns in India, Suhani Jalota saw injustice all around her and wondered why most women didn’t stand up for their rights. As a teen, she volunteered in the slum communities of Mumbai and realized that reducing the stigma around women’s sexual and reproductive health could make a real difference in their ability to study, work, and thrive.

When Suhani came to the United States as an undergraduate student, she enrolled in an entrepreneurship program and applied for funding to deliver health education, services, and products to women living in low-income conditions. Myna Mahila Foundation was established in India in 2015 and reached 1,500 women in its first year of operation. Notably, Megan Markle became an early advocate for the program and selected the foundation as one of seven charities to receive donations from the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle.

As Suhani gained experience and continued her education, she broadened her foundation’s mission to help women gain agency and decision-making power to increase confidence, develop financial independence, and improve health. Today, she runs an 80-person organization that has served more than 2 million women across India. 

How did your academic interests evolve to combine health policy and business?

Before enrolling at Stanford, my entire life was in the social impact space, and while there's a lot of impact to be done this way, oftentimes it can't happen in a way that generates sustainable revenue. I'd struggled with that reality as I worked in low-income communities. I was constantly fundraising and asking for support.

I wanted to come up with more scalable models so that we could reach the 300+ million women in India who need uplift and empowerment. I came to Stanford to research health policy, but my work has evolved to focus on labor policy and labor economics because there are many interlinkages between health, employment, and overall empowerment and agency for women.

What experiences before Stanford influenced your educational path?

I was 15 when I met the young woman who would change my life. I was volunteering in a slum community and I heard the story from this girl whose mother had passed away while bleeding excessively to death right outside the hospital. The hospital wouldn't take her in because she smelled bad from wearing rags.

Growing up in India, I met so many girls who were similarly disadvantaged. They did not have the same opportunities and access to services that I enjoyed. It seemed unfair. I started working with them to understand what held them back and why they didn’t speak up to fight for their own rights.

I had good mentors in my parents, who worked in social development, and in Dr. Jockin Arputham, who had created self-help groups for women all over India and was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Under his guidance, I went from feeling angry to feeling determined to find impactful solutions.

How did you learn about Knight-Hennessy Scholars and what inspired you to apply to Stanford for your graduate studies? 

I was not thinking about Stanford at all until I heard about Knight-Hennessy Scholars because I thought I had found my dream program at a different university. I was working on a UNICEF project with IDinsight, an impact evaluation-focused organization in the Philippines at the time, while also running Myna Mahila as a nonprofit. When I learned about Knight-Hennessy, the program was brand new, and I became excited to be a part of the inaugural cohort. 

I thought of myself as a leader as well as a researcher, and I was intrigued by  the idea of having an identity beyond that of a PhD student. So I applied  to KHS, but I didn’t know if I should apply for a PhD or an MBA at Stanford and ended up doing both. I probably wouldn’t be at Stanford if it were not for Knight-Hennessy Scholars. 

How has being a Knight-Hennessy scholar shaped your experience at Stanford and beyond?

At first, coming to Stanford as one of the first 50 Knight-Hennessy scholars ignited a lot of self doubt. I felt like a drop in an ocean of talent. But then, over time, it made me feel stronger. I realized we're all in this together, sharing the burden of trying to change the world. KHS is a highly concentrated pool of changemakers and we all have our own parts to play. 

I would add that being a Knight-Hennessy scholar has broadened my scope of thinking across disciplines. It connects me to fellow scholars in psychology, law, education, and other fields that I might not have come across otherwise. Whether it's collaborating on research surveys or sharing questions with other scholars, we’re always learning from each other’s experiences.

What are some of your interests outside of your academic work?

I am juggling several initiatives aside from my academic pursuits. I recently started a smartphone-based micro-tasking employment platform called Rani that helps women and girls learn new skills, earn income, and connect with their peers in a fun and flexible way. We’ve already seen that this model can transform lives in a short period of time by providing sustainable, dignified work. 

I’m also still the CEO of Myna Mahila Foundation, although I have a fantastic team running the show in Mumbai. We’re expanding our services to address both physical health and digital health needs. This means providing reproductive health and life skills resources virtually while we continue to offer in-person education, services, and products. I also co-founded Papaya, a sustainable menstrual wear company for women in India, where we just launched our first compostable pad product! In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, playing tennis with my husband, and staying in close touch with my family and friends.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying to Knight-Hennessy Scholars?

You don’t have to be perfect in every way to apply. Just believe in yourself. Once you’ve read through the website and online materials and you have specific questions, reach out to the KHS team! They are happy to respond to your questions. 

And to potential applicants from India, keep in mind that while at home you may feel valued more for your qualifications than for your potential — it’s different in the U.S. People here are looking at what you can do, not necessarily what you have already done. In my experience, if you’re very clear and you know what you’re going after, the universe aligns. 

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