Whether she's at work or at home, Priya Mohabir is looking out for the youth of today (and the future). At home in Valley Stream on Long Island, her three children Kheran, seven, Nalya, five and Eshan, one, keep her and her husband — who's also her high school sweetheart — busy. "My favorite moment of the day is when we say good night and they ask me what they should dream about. I have to come up with wacky things every night! It's been a battle of Avengers versus Looney Tunes, where they have to tell me the winner in the morning, or what happened when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meets My Little Pony? It makes us all laugh and helps get them into bed!"
As VP, Youth Development; Director, Alan J. Friedman Center for the Development of Young Scientists, she oversees programs and events that provide access and opportunities for high school and college students to explore the creative diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Appointed to the role when the Center was created two years ago, Mohabir is working to develop, pilot, and launch new events and opportunities that expand the Center's reach to youth in New York City.
Yet Another Reason To Like Her: Mohabir got her start at NYSCI 16 years ago as an “Explainer,” a position on the institution's Science Career Ladder. The Center's signature education program provides an opportunity for high school and college students to work there and also participate in mentoring, professional development and career preparation activities. She now oversees a department of 150 people — including a new generation of Explainers.
Work/Life: "If only I had a magic answer. For me it's making sure that the kids are first and that they know it. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the crisis of the moment, and those absolutely happen all the time, but it's making sure that even when you are frantic, the kids know that they are number 1, even when they have to wait. I work hard and I work a lot, but I also make sure that I don't sacrifice moments with them. I try to have a balance of being super mom and super Priya. There are days that I'll run home from the office at 2 pm to be the one to pick them up and do homework and dinner, and then at the end of the night when they are fast asleep, I go back to work to wrap up. Then there are days that they go to after-school programs and activities, where they get to play and have fun, and I get to wrap up projects with my team. What works for me is being scheduled, but open to disruptions."
photo: NYSCI
