Generous Minded Fall ’25

Jaya Goud ’27 was in the sixth grade when the pandemic started, and she quickly grew to miss campus life once her class switched to virtual learning.

“I just felt so isolated....We had all been together for the entirety of my fifth-grade year, and suddenly we were all just tiny little boxes on screens,” she says. “I really wanted to find a way to connect with the community, to have meaningful conversations with my teachers again, and create something that could inspire and support other students.”

Jaya’s sister, Kaiya Goud ’30, was also at home, attending the fourth grade as she went through the process of applying to Winsor. Kaiya was interested in learning more about life at the school.

Together, the sisters had an idea: to reach out to teachers and alumnae and gather their insight for a book that students could turn to when they needed direction, comfort, or encouragement. They spent the next couple of years creating what would become Winsor Words of Wisdom.

“We were really inspired by the brilliance and resilience we saw in the Winsor community every single day,” Kaiya says. “We wanted to really capture those stories, and the sparks within them—like, the moments of mentorship and guidance—so we could create something for students that they could turn to when they need a boost.”

The girls developed four questions to ask each interviewee: Who were your role models and how did they influence you? What is the most important piece of advice you’ve received? What are the traits and habits of successful students? And, if you could be a student again, what would you focus on?

They decided to start their interviews with Jaya’s advisor, Ms. Laura Beebe P’16, who gave them the first piece of advice featured in the book: Be authentic. “People will appreciate you more and find your presence more valuable,” Ms. Beebe told them.

She also led them to their next interviewee, her daughter Eliza Beebe ’16, who is one of two alumnae in the volume. The girls continued to widen their net in this manner, asking subjects for recommendations on who to talk to next, just as a journalist might. In the end, they selected a group of 21 people they felt covered the diversity of Winsor in terms of the classes they taught or their role in the community.

“Even though the questions were the same, everyone’s answers reflected their own experiences and unique wisdom,” Jaya says. One of those answers has stayed with Kaiya. It came from History Faculty Elisabeth Parsley: Champions learn to move past their mistakes. “You have to accept that you’re going to make mistakes,” Kaiya says, “because that’s how you grow.”

For Jaya, one of the most meaningful takeaways from the project was gaining a deeper perspective on the role of teachers. “Speaking with them outside the classroom reminded me that their commitment extends far beyond academics—they’re truly invested in seeing us grow as people, and I feel so grateful to have such dedicated mentors who believe in us,” she reflects.

The process of making the book taught the girls other invaluable lessons. Jaya says one skill she sharpened is the ability to guide meaningful conversations. And Kaiya learned to see writing not just as a task she does in school but as a tool for sharing ideas. “The way in which you write can change the way someone views something, and that is very powerful,” she says.

The sisters hope their project will build confidence in others as well. “I hope that what we have done with Winsor Words of Wisdom will inspire other people to realize that their ideas are always worth pursuing,” says Jaya.

A few printed issues are on Winsor’s library shelves, and others went to interviewees. Interested readers can purchase a copy (wwowbook.com), and book profits will benefit the Jimmy Fund. “With Dana-Farber located just down the street from Winsor, this cause feels especially meaningful to us,” they say.

Now published authors, the girls are busy at work on a second volume, focusing more on alumnae voices. “We need to do another one, because there’s so much more that can be said, and we had so much fun,” Jaya says.