L’(Extra)ordinaire
About the Author: A freshly minted teenager, Zehn Kashyap, is currently based out of New Delhi, India. She is a student of Grade 9 at Vasant Valley School. Zehn is a passionate, empathetic, focussed student with an incredible capacity for hard work.
Zehn was born extremely premature and has a condition called Periventricular Leukomalacia – PVL (a form of Cerebral Palsy). Her initial medical prognosis was very bleak with doctors telling her parents that she would never be able to sit up and she’d be lucky if her vocabulary developed past 400 words.
After years of grueling therapy, Zehn has evolved into a staunch advocate of children with different abilities. Inspired by her experiences, Zehn recently participated in the Belong Youth Writing Contest and her award-winning poem titled “L’(Extra)ordinaire” was subsequently published by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the ISA national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India.
She represents the growing population of students worldwide who have special needs. Zehn has developed a special brand of empathy (her own superpower!) that arises from being able to walk for a mile in her fellow students’ (albeit rather painful!) shoes! Her story of rising above her disability and not letting it define her is exemplary and inspiring for all students. She was invited by Girl UP to participate in their 2021 Global Leadership Summit to kick off the Mental Health session, where her work received accolades from girl leaders, youth activists, thought leaders, and influential changemakers from across the world.
Recently selected to be a member of her school’s Outreach and Academic Councils and having been a panelist at, she feels strongly about and is committed to giving back to the community that has enabled her to be what she is today.
