Prabin Risal has been assisting TJ students for the past ten years.
photo by Heather Larson
At Thomas Jefferson High School, there is a program of willing students ready to learn, and a fantastic staff that craves the satisfaction of helping kids. They are people who go out of their way to make every one of their students happy. One of those people is Prabin Risal, a staffer who has been adding his needed assistance to the TJ Special Education program for the past ten years.
TJ’s special education program is one that many in the district look upon highly. Within the rooms of this dedicated department, Risal spends all of his time connecting with the children and doing everything he can to help them. “A normal day for me is just working with the students, helping them study, and creating a better class,” said Risal, who is a special education paraprofessional at TJ. “I focus mostly on helping the kids with their resumes, helping them figure out how to get a job, and realizing what their career interests are and how to achieve those goals.”
Throughout Risal’s daily activities, he strongly believes that if peers and students have an attitude that is positive, eager, and willing to learn, he will go that extra mile to help them accomplish whatever they need and want. Risal said that he has helped many students, just because he knew they would appreciate it, and he wanted them to know that someone is always there who cares about them. “Think positive. What you put out you will get back, and I’m willing to help give that back,” said Risal.
Outside of the classroom, Risal is a man who is constantly surrounded by family and friends, loves to have fun, and truly enjoys traveling. “I hardly ever go a weekend without seeing my friends and my family. We are all really close.” Risal says that he absolutely loves to travel with his family, and those vacations are experiences he will never forget. “My two favorite vacation destinations are definitely San Diego, where I went for a family reunion, and The Philippines, where I visited with my brother for a week-long vacation, full of relaxation, a lot of food, and a big cliff house looking out over the beautiful ocean in SanDiego.” Although those are Risal’s favorite vacation settings, he has visited nearly all of the continents, including Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa, and of course North America.
Risal says he enjoys the little things in life. He says that some of his favorite things require very little thought or exertion, for he truly appreciates the calmness and relaxation of sleeping, eating, and golf. “When I am not here at TJ, I am doing one of those things, or being with family.” Risal also said that he enjoys seeing life as a man with little stress, which is one reason that he became a well-known helping hand within the TJ special education community.
Growing up, Risal did not have any aspiration of becoming a teacher or a paraprofessional. It was only when he lost a previous job that he was informed of a job here at TJ, assisting a group of students who needed some more teachers to successfully advance their learning. “A friend of mine told me that the school was looking for some extra assistance, so I decided ‘why not?’ However, after my first day being here, I vowed I would never come back because one of the students threw an ‘in-out’ folder at the actual teacher, and she ended up in the hospital getting ten stitches.” Risal said that he kept asking himself that afternoon what he had gotten himself into, but the next day he ended up coming back to the school, and for some reason, it stuck. Ten years later, and Risal is still giving his helping hand to the program. “I didn’t choose TJ, TJ chose me.”
