Meet Kesar
Kesar Behal is a Dubai-based self-published author, poet, blogger, whose work spans writing, research, acting, and creative expression. She is the Communications Head and Editorial Director of Teen Animals Da Scientists, a youth-led organization focusing on SDG goals and science and the President of Rue De La France French Club and a student at Winchester School Jebel Ali. Additionally, she is the co-founder of the Well, Lyrically Speaking… podcast and has served as a TEDxWinchester Jebel Ali Speaker Coach. Her independent psychology research has also been published in the International Education Research Journal (IERJ).
A Voice That Began Before She Had a Name for It
For Kesar Behal, writing was never something she deliberately chose as a career direction at the beginning. It arrived much earlier and much more naturally. At eight, she began writing poetry, finding in words a way to make sense of thoughts and feelings that might otherwise have remained unspoken. By ten, she had published her first book.
That early beginning could easily have remained a childhood accomplishment, a small creative experiment remembered years later. Instead, it became the starting point of a much longer relationship with writing. She published a second book, developed her voice through blogging, explored communications, worked with TEDx speakers, and eventually moved into academic research. Her psychology research, Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination: A Guide for Students, was published in the International Education Research Journal.
What makes her journey distinctive is not simply how early it began, but how gradually writing expanded in meaning. What started with poetry became a way of communicating ideas, understanding people and exploring questions that mattered to her. Along the way, she discovered that words could do more than express creativity. They could create connection, encourage reflection and help another person see something from a different perspective.
“I’ve always enjoyed putting my thoughts into words on paper. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate how meaningful good communication can be.”
That realization has shaped the way she thinks about her future. Rather than seeing writing as one isolated interest, she has begun to understand it as a thread connecting many of the things she cares about.
When Writing Became More Than a Childhood Passion
Publishing a book at ten gave Kesar something that can be difficult to find at any age: evidence that an idea can move from imagination into reality. For a young writer, putting work into the world also creates a different relationship with creativity. Once there is an audience, even a small one, the words are no longer entirely private.
As she grew older, her experiences with established publications deepened that understanding. Writing was no longer simply about having something to say. It also involved thinking carefully about how an idea would be received, understood and remembered. That sense of responsibility became an important part of her development as a communicator.
Speaking about her experiences as a writer added another dimension. Writing allowed her to shape her thoughts privately and carefully, while speaking required a more immediate connection with other people. She began to recognize that she enjoyed both sides of communication: developing an idea and finding a way to make that idea meaningful to someone else.
Her work as a TEDxWinchester Jebel Ali Speaker Coach brought this into sharper focus. Working with speakers meant helping them think about not only what they wanted to say, but how their experiences and ideas could be communicated clearly. It gave Kesar an opportunity to see storytelling from another person’s perspective and to understand the care involved in helping someone find the right words for their own message.
Her independent research offered yet another way into communication. Exploring procrastination among students required curiosity, structure and a willingness to look beyond personal assumptions. Having that work published became an important milestone because it showed her that her interest in writing could extend into research and the exploration of questions relevant to her generation.
These experiences have not pulled her in separate directions. Instead, they have helped her see the common ground between them.
Choosing the Path That Felt Like Hers
Perhaps one of the most important parts of Kesar’s story has been learning to trust an interest that did not always resemble the interests around her.
As a student, she has grown up in an environment where traditional academic and professional paths can feel particularly visible. Medicine and STEM fields were common ambitions among many of her peers. Kesar, however, found herself most energized by writing, creativity, communication and the questions surrounding human behaviour.
That difference sometimes made her question herself.
When a particular path is familiar to everyone around you, choosing something else can feel less like following a passion and more like taking a risk. There can be an unspoken pressure to select what appears safe, established or easily understood. For Kesar, learning to separate what genuinely interested her from what seemed expected of her became an important part of growing up.
She did not arrive at that confidence all at once. It developed through experience. Each book, article, research project, speaking opportunity and creative pursuit gave her another reason to take her own interests seriously.
She has also learned that a meaningful future does not necessarily have to fit neatly into one category. Writing can lead into communications. Communications can open new creative possibilities. Research can influence writing. Acting can deepen storytelling. Different interests can exist alongside one another without requiring her to decide immediately which one will define her entire future.
For someone whose interests sit across several creative and intellectual spaces, a winding path is not necessarily a lack of direction.
It may simply be a more honest reflection of who she is.
Kesar’s growing confidence comes from allowing herself to explore rather than forcing every interest into a predetermined plan. She has participated in the Yale International Essay Writing Competition and the Wolves of Wall Street Global Investing Competition, experiences that have encouraged her to test herself beyond the areas she already knows.
There is a sense of openness in the way she approaches these opportunities. She is not trying to prove that she has already become everything she hopes to be. Instead, she is gathering experiences and learning what each one reveals about her.
Understanding People Through the Power of Words
At the center of Kesar’s interests is a desire to understand people. Her attraction to writing, communications and creative expression is closely connected to her curiosity about how people think, what shapes their perspectives and what allows meaningful connections to form.
That curiosity gives her creative work a reflective quality. She is interested in what exists beneath the surface of an idea and how different experiences can influence the way people see the world.
Her definition of impact is similarly personal. She does not measure meaningful work only through visibility or recognition. For her, the value of communication can be found in something much quieter: making another person think, feel understood or reconsider an idea.
This perspective is visible across the different roles she has taken on. As a writer, she can explore experiences and questions through language. As a communications leader, she can help shape how ideas are presented. As a speaker coach, she can help others express themselves with greater confidence. As someone involved in youth-led organizations, she can contribute to spaces where young people are encouraged to participate, create and communicate.
The connecting point is people.
Even her interest in psychology reflects that same curiosity. Researching procrastination among students required her to look closely at a familiar experience and examine why it happens and how it can be addressed. Rather than treating writing as separate from research, she used it as a way to explore a question with practical relevance to people her own age.
The People Who Helped Shape Her Perspective
Kesar’s development has been deeply influenced by the people who have encouraged her to explore different sides of herself.
Her parents have played a particularly important role. Rather than giving her a specific blueprint for what her future should look like, they gave her something more open: a blank whiteboard and colorful markers. The image represents the freedom they have given her to create, experiment and discover her own direction. Their support has empowered her to do more and to believe that she is capable of finding her own way.
For Kesar, that support has been foundational.
Her parents are her primary reason for believing in herself, not because they have mapped out a particular future for her, but because they have trusted her enough to let her help create it.
Her grandmother holds an equally special place in that story. Having spent the most time with Kesar, she has watched her grow through different stages of life and supported her even when Kesar herself did not always know exactly what she wanted to do. Together, they have figured things out along the way.
That bond is one of the closest to Kesar’s heart.
Her creative interests also extend to acting and drama, an experience that has shaped her far beyond the stage. Her first drama teacher, a former teacher at The HIVE, remains one of her favourite teachers and someone who had a lasting impact on her. She remembers the way her teacher made every class feel welcoming, encouraging her to experiment, make mistakes and genuinely enjoy performing. The environment at The HIVE gave her the freedom to discover things about herself through every performance and rehearsal. Over time, drama made her more confident, expressive and comfortable with being herself, while also teaching her to observe and understand others. It became an experience that shaped not only how she performs, but also how she sees herself and the people around her. As a senior HIVE student, she knows that the drama community will always be an important part of her journey.
She also speaks fondly of her IGCSE French teacher, describing him as someone who has been more of a mentor to her than simply a teacher. His influence has extended beyond the classroom, shaping not only some of her views on the French language but also aspects of how she sees life. For Kesar, his guidance has been another example of how a teacher can leave an impact that continues well beyond the subject they teach.
Emma Watson has also been an important influence on her. Growing up, Kesar loved reading the Harry Potter books and became especially attached to Hermione Granger. She admired Hermione’s intelligence, determination and confidence, and watching Emma Watson bring her to life in the films made the character even more memorable. Hermione was someone Kesar genuinely looked up to growing up, and remains a character she feels strongly connected to.
These influences are varied, but they share something important. None of them represents a single formula for success. Instead, each has contributed a different lesson about how Kesar wants to live and work.
Curiosity and determination are the values she returns to most. Curiosity keeps her asking questions and exploring unfamiliar areas. Determination helps her continue when the direction is uncertain.
She has also learned that progress does not require having every answer in advance.
Looking Beyond the Summit
When difficult moments arise, Kesar has developed a way of putting them into perspective. She thinks about how far she has already come while also remembering how much of life remains ahead of her.
Her mountain analogy reflects this perspective. From a higher point, challenges that once felt overwhelming can seem smaller, making it easier to step back and see the bigger picture.
For someone still at the beginning of her professional life, that perspective is valuable. There is no need to treat every decision as permanent. There is room to experiment, reconsider and begin again.
That openness is central to how she imagines her future.
A Future With Room to Discover
Kesar hopes to build a career that brings together writing, communication and creative expression. She wants to continue developing professionally as a writer while exploring communications, journalism and other opportunities that allow her to work with ideas, people and storytelling.
What stands out is that she is not trying to reduce her future to one fixed job title.
Instead, she wants to continue collecting experiences that help her understand people, communicate ideas and discover what kind of work feels meaningful. Her current interests may develop in unexpected directions, and she appears comfortable with that possibility.
There is maturity in allowing a future to remain partly unwritten.
For Kesar, success is less about reaching a specific position and more about having the opportunity to influence someone positively through words, whether those words are written, spoken or performed. A meaningful piece of writing, a thoughtful conversation or a creative performance can all carry value if they leave someone seeing something a little differently.
Her ambition, then, is not simply to be heard. It is to communicate in a way that gives something back to the person listening or reading.
Becoming Before Knowing Exactly Who She Will Be
Kesar’s story is still unfolding. She is a student, a writer, a researcher, a performer, a communicator, and a young person continuing to discover what each of those identities means to her.
Perhaps the most fitting lesson from her journey is that she has not needed to choose one identity too early. Her first book at ten did not determine her entire future. Her research did not close the door on creativity. Her work with speakers did not require her to abandon writing. Each experience has simply added another layer to her understanding of herself.
She has learned to trust curiosity, stay committed to what matters and accept that uncertainty is not the same thing as failure. Her path is defined less by having all the answers than by remaining willing to ask better questions.
For a young writer who began putting her thoughts into poetry at eight, that may be the most natural way forward: continuing to write, continuing to listen, and continuing to discover who she can become through the words she chooses to share.
For More Features
Be Featured in The Real Edit!
Every story has the power to shape how we see innovation, leadership, and purpose. If you’re a founder, creator, executive, or changemaker with a journey worth telling , we’d be honored to help you share it.
To inquire about being featured:
Email us at: info@realedit.site
Follow The Real Edit
