Life after Radford with Gaj Ravichandra (Class of 1995)

Gaj Ravichandra (Class of 1995) has been on one amazing roller coaster ride since his Radford days. Gaj is a Psychologist, Business Owner and Investor, he has a Bachelor in Psychology, Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology and a Master of Commerce in Strategic Value Management.

I was introduced to Gaj by fellow collegian, Hamish Podger (Class of 1995). Not too long ago, we did a Life after Radford article on Hamish. Hamish said at the time of the article that Gaj is someone that he has enjoyed watching from afar and is inspiration in the work that he does.

Gaj is married with two daughters and added that he has a naughty golden retriever. He recently returned to Sydney after spending 8 years abroad. Gaj co-founded a company in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The company provides leadership, performance and career support to business schools, corporates, governments and sporting teams, it is operational across 5 continents. An amazing achievement.

In his spare time, Gaj and his children work with charitable causes. Gaj said that “it is important to him that his children appreciate how others around the word live and to see how we can play a part in helping to create a better world”.

Gaj’s fascination with people when choosing a career path led him to the services industry. Psychology was always of interest to him. In Year 10 he developed more of an appreciation to the corporate aspects within this field, adding that the clinical path did not interest him. One of the things that Gaj has noticed in his life, is that he has become much more open minded and willing to expose himself to different situations – even if they do make him feel uncomfortable. He said, “there are different people who have been an inspiration at various stages of my life because I have developed this attitude to life”.

Gaj shared that his favourite Radford moment were the days playing football with his mates at recess and lunch, though when he reflected on this question further, Gaj added that life was much simpler. Being around friends at school and sharing various memories will forever stay in his mind.

Gaj said that there are a lot of things that he would tell his younger self, here are some of the things he shared:

• Don’t focus only on what is in your best interests, think about others and how you can genuinely help them to achieve their goals as well.
• Remember to smile, whatever you are going through now (good or bad) will pass. Don’t forget the lessons you have learnt to be able to apply them in the future.
• Surround yourself with people who make you happy and are willing to challenge you (as long as they do this from a good place) and bring you down to earth every now and again!
• Persist, persist, persist. Work harder and learn how to focus on areas that you really love. Push yourself to keep going even if it’s getting more difficult or complex. Mastery comes from effort!
• Be more resourceful and be willing to admit that you don’t have the answers to everything. Listen and respect the values and idea of others.
• Setbacks will happen. Think of setbacks as trying to teach you something, they are not failures but opportunities to learn.

When asked what advice he could share with current students, Gaj said “think about how you can become a ‘whole’ student at Radford. It is not just about the grades and badges. Consider how you can make people around you feel great!”, he added that this is what leadership is all about! “Attending a school like Radford is a true privilege – not many students around the country get access to the facilities, teaching staff and other opportunities that open up for you. Make the most of it.”

Gaj further added that it is important to act with compassion (empathy with action) with those around you, ensure that you help those that need help and be willing to learn from those who have something to teach you. Learn to develop friendships and practice what it is like to help others and to put people ahead of yourself at times for the greater good.

Enjoy the time you have at school. Before you know it, the time at Radford will feel like a distant memory and you will yearn for those years again.

Photo Credit: Gaj Ravichandra LinkedIn and Instagram

Have a Life after Radford story you would like to share with us? Please get in contact via email collegians@radford.act.edu.au