Giving Back: DBU Alum Ranjita Kumar

We first met Ranjita Kumar as an undergraduate student in 2018 as she shared her amazing story with the DBU Family. Ranjita grew up in a Hindu family in India, but at the age of seven, she was sent to a Christian orphanage where she was transformed by the Gospel gifted to her in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.

Fast forward to 2021, Ranjita Kumar has recently celebrated her second graduation from Dallas Baptist University, completing her Master of Science in Management. Along with what she learned in all her classes, she says it was her overall experience as a student that has prepared her uniquely to lead in the professional workplace. "I would say that my professional career started when I became a student worker at DBU. Every small or big thing I learned has helped me grow, be it in the classroom, my office, or student organizations."

Ranjita learned about the principle of Biblical servant leadership as a student, and this has motivated her to bridge gaps of poverty and injustice all around the world. Some of her latest endeavors in this manner happened in April when she returned home to India and volunteered with the very same orphanage in which she grew up. Currently, this orphanage operates in a new location and shelters 200 children, including welcoming those who were from another orphanage forcefully shut down by the government.

"They were devastated when their place had to close and they had to leave," says Ranjita. "They all prayed and God answered their prayers. They feel happy and secure, but most importantly they feel at home. What a feeling to have. These are some wonderful kids who aspire to become doctors, nurses, and missionaries one day, who are devoted in their faith and to the Gospel."

Along with God's provision and support, Ranjita has raised funds for the construction and remodeling of this new space so that the orphanage can continue to invest love, care, and support, along with a Christian education and godly role models, for India's next generation.

Faculty, staff, and students from DBU's College of Education partnered with Ranjita to send boxes of school supplies for the orphans. Ranjita also shared her heart and fundraising plans with her campus honor society, Alpha Sigma Omega, and one of the members jumped in to seek out ways to support.

Ranjita reflects on God's faithfulness through answered prayers, and she shares that God's faithfulness can be seen throughout her time at DBU; and now that she has graduated, she praises God for stirring her heart to work for the Kingdom. Ranjita leaves the DBU campus with a strong faith and a heart full of gratitude towards God and towards everyone who invested in her life with a desire to give back and make an impact. "God has been faithful to me and my prayer is that many more will experience His faithfulness like I did. May all that we do be for His glory."