Deepak left his corporate position and returned to Udaipur to start from scratch in the education industry. He believes in the importance of being surrounded by good people and mentors.

Deepak Sharma is the Director at Rockwoods International School, Udaipur.

Born in Jodhpur and brought up in Udaipur, Deepak completed his school education at St. Paul's School in 1999 and took the Commerce stream during his higher secondary education. After that, he completed a degree in B.Com. from Modern Commerce College, Pune. Deepak took a break after graduation and later pursued a Master's Degree in International Business from the Symbiosis Institute of International Business.

As a student, Deepak’s journey was very beautiful. He was active in sports during his school days. He mainly played cricket at school, and his team represented their school at the Inter- District tournament. Besides cricket, he also played basketball and football. Deepak liked playing the banjo and played in the school orchestra too. He actively participated in dramatics, debates, and extempore at the school level.

Speaking about struggles and opportunities in life, Deepak recalls that in those times, it was very challenging to convince his parents that doing an MBA from Pune was worth it. Deepak always aspired to study at a good college under the guidance of a professional coach. When he went to Pune to explore career opportunities outside Udaipur, his vision broadened. Furthermore, he worked part-time jobs to support himself financially and gain experience during his college years.

Deepak emphasises that students must never be afraid to explore the possibilities in life. He believes that there are ample opportunities available for students nowadays as education is slowly shifting toward the online domain. One should participate in as many events during school as possible to gain experience.

After completing college, Deepak decided to take a job in the corporate sector, and his parents were supportive of his decision. He got placed in a sales job at a reputed company. He worked there for a few years and was promoted to Branch Sales Manager after working there for four years. He eventually left his job to pursue his lifelong dream of working in the education field.

As Deepak was passionate about doing something in the education sector, he shifted to Udaipur in 2009 in order to do something in the academic field. When he joined CPS School in Udaipur, they had just started the boarding facility for children. Slowly and gradually, he learned from the basics how other domains work in a school. In 2011, when CPS had the maximum number of students it could accommodate, they had the idea of opening another institution with an international curriculum. They successfully inaugurated their new venture, Rockwood High School in 2011. In the next ten years, the school reached heights with a good national ranking.

Deepak focuses on providing a good value system for the students, as provided by his mentor at CPS School. He wanted to take a different and unique approach to education, one that also provided vocational experience to students from a tender age. Under his guidance, the school facilitated student exchange programmes with French and Dutch schools to help students understand the difference in education systems and enjoy their different cultures. He believes every child is different and needs special attention for their overall development. Through his school, he wants to achieve at least a part of his vision of a better education system and bring revolutionary change in this sphere.

In his free time, Deepak enjoys riding bikes and has covered most of India by bike. Deepak likes to keep an active schedule by playing various sports, like cricket.

When asked about his role models, Deepak says that his parents are his role models. His father was always very supportive and flexible in Deepak’s situation. His mother has always been his mentor in academia, and Deepak truly takes after his mother.

Deepak advises aspiring teachers to enter this field only if they are truly passionate about teaching. If one really wants to make a difference in someone’s life, they should go into the education field.

Even if Deepak were given a time machine, he would never want to go back in time or change anything from his past. He firmly believes in living in the present and making every day count.

When asked about his mistakes, Deepak says that every experience is a good experience as long as you have learned something from it. He thinks that it's okay to make mistakes and that there is no point in regretting anything.

While discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, Deepak says that the pandemic has done what the education department hasn't been able to do for years by digitising the whole education system in India. COVID gave us the time to think about ourselves, what we have done so far, and what more can be done.

Lastly, he advises everyone to give some time to themselves, be positive, and always take some time to review what they do.