Elementary School Teacher in Seattle, WA
TOPS K-8
2025-26 Fellow: Ms. Nidhi has been teaching for seven years. She has always loved cooking and baking and became interested in the Pilot Light Fellowship through Grace Chang (a Pilot Light alumna). Grace seamlessly incorporated food in her instruction and classroom and her students were motivated and engaged in those lessons. Through Pilot Light, Nidhi looks forward to infusing joy into her lessons. She hopes to increase connection and confidence in students as they make, taste, and learn about food together. Nidhi was born and brought up in India. She attended college at UBC, in Vancouver, BC, with a diverse cohort of international students and learned about many new cultures and foods. In her undergraduate days, she had opportunities to travel to Southeast Asia and East Africa and was amazed by the common threads and relationships she saw across cuisines and cultures. She has master’s degrees in Inclusive Elementary Education and Deaf/Hard of Hearing Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a Teacher of the Deaf at the TOPS K-8, in Seattle, WA, and is always thinking about how to strengthen student literacy skills and their sense of community.
Favorite Food Education Standard: FES #2 – Foods have sources and origins.
FES 2 – Foods have sources and origins resonates with me as it can be approached from so many different ways. I love investigating how a food we are eating has come to be with my students, the journey of the ingredients and the steps in making them. I cherish the ‘Aha! moments’ students have when they make connections and deepen their understanding about foods, and how excited students are to participate in the process, whether it is growing and/or making food. I also love discussing the history of foods, how culture and circumstance can impact the foods and how what we eat is part of who we are.
A Favorite Food Memory or Recipe:
I have always loved food: to cook and bake, to taste different foods, and to share food. I loved visiting friends’ homes growing up and joining them for a meal.
What I’m Most Excited About as a New Fellow:
I am excited to connect with the Pilot Light staff and fellows to map out my ideas and tailor them to my students interests and skill sets. I look forward to building connections in my classroom as we engage in Pilot Light lessons together.
