After witnessing an imbalance between people doing what they love and what is expected of them, a student at Colorado State University felt inspired to write a self-help book titled “Tea with Kush.”
Kush Desai, 21 and a junior in the social work program, released his book in October 2013 as a way to help others get back on track to finding and following their passion.
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Desai said that he sees a tremendous amount of worth, value and potential in everyone he meets.
“I wanted to write about tools and techniques I’ve found to be helpful in finding what I’m passionate about and when to start following that,” Desai said.
The book is divided into chapters that each have a lesson, like how to create a support system and what activities can help a person find what they are passionate about.
Desai transferred to CSU fall semester 2014, after spending two years at Creighton University in Nebraska where he wrote his manuscript. He credits his friends in Creighton for being his support system throughout his writing process.
Brielle Kelley, who Desai met at Creighton during his sophomore year, is also a published author. She gave a presentation to his hall on her bilingual children’s book that she published when she was 16 years old, titled “The Little Skunk Who Was Afraid to Stink,” about building self esteem and being comfortable with oneself.
Kelley offered her support to Desai while he was working on his manuscript and the two have been friends ever since.
The title of Desai’s book,”Tea with Kush,” makes sense for those who know him.
“He’s known for asking people if they wanted to have tea,” Kelley said. “He’d say, ‘Let me be a part of your journey,’ or ‘What can I learn about your journey?’ He’s always so self giving and genuinely interested in other people.”
Desai is currently working on helping to develop a non-profit in Fort Collins called L’Arche Joyspring. This non-profit is about supporting people with developmental disabilities within the community, empowering them with tools and resources they need to be functional and achieve the goals they are trying to achieve.
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Desai dedicates his Tuesdays and Thursdays to being on-call to volunteer with the domestic abuse response team for Crossroads Safehouse, which works with victims of domestic violence, and Columbine Health Systems, visiting their nursing homes to spend time and support members on a weekly basis.
“I love it,” Desai said about his volunteer work. “Especially with domestic violence. It’s really amazing from the start to see people being in crisis to [in the end] having a plan and being able to take control of their own lives.”
He hopes one day to work with kids and Child Protective Services.
Danielle Higgins, a CSU sophomore in the social work department, recommends his book.
“I really enjoyed the book,” Higgins said. ” I love how he incorporated his own life story.”
Higgins said that something that stood out to her was that Desai emphasized the importance of human relationships.
“I thought the challenge at the end of the book was beautiful and amazing,” Higgins added. “It makes the reader think a little harder.”
All proceeds from “Tea with Kush” go to CASA of the Pike’s Peak Region, which does court advocacy for children in the court system and allow supervised visitations.
Desai’s book is available through online retailers such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Collegian Reporter Dina Alibrahim Fike can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @dnalibrahim.
