Sophia Ali ’83, Executive Producer of The Magic Tent, the first “edutainment” program specifically designed to teach critical thinking and creative problem solving in South Asia.
On what she’s most proud of:
“My proudest achievement is moving back to Pakistan and creating its first educational television program.”
On her work:
“My work is exciting and fun — it makes you feel like you’re doing something for the world. One of the reasons you can put up with the grief and bumps in the road is because you know you’re really trying to do something good.”
On Beaver today:
“I’m sorry that I didn’t get to go to Beaver the way it is today. The way it’s developed. The kids have such an opportunity to have an interactive learning experience. It’s incredible.”
Advice to Beaver students:
“The ability to collaborate is the most important. You have to find and work with the people who do so that you can accomplish something. [For] me, that’s the magic. That was something I really had at Beaver. [It] really did prepare me for this collaborative worklife I lead.”
“You have to live your life every second of every day, and if you’re not doing what you want to be doing—start now. That was my realization as a television producer in L.A. Now I’m using modern media to bring critical thinking skills to the 500 million children in South Asia. We need to make sure they’re balanced people who can think for themselves . . . Coming from Pakistan’s rote memorization approach to education, it was at Beaver that I learned to think for myself. I also learned to think outside of just myself.”
