“I’m Deep. I’m a teacher, school founder, technology entrepreneur, lawyer, and child of immigrants from India.”
A teacher, school founder, technology entrepreneur, lawyer, and child of immigrants from India, Deep Sran has declared his intention to run for the US Congress in Virginia’s 10th District. “I’m running for Congress because I want to work to restore the promise of a better future for all Americans. I know that’s a big goal, but I also know it is within reach if we work together with open minds and better ideas,” he said in a statement. “I’ll focus on finding the best ways to fulfill this promise through education, better democratic processes, and a commitment to confronting and solving problems, rather than ignoring them or limiting myself to a narrow set of tired, ideologically-driven ideas.”
On his achievements and the reason for running for a political office, the Democrat of Indian origin says, “I design and implement new ideas to make education work better, in a school I founded and at a technology company I co-founded. I’m leaving my life’s work to run for Congress in the 10th Congressional District in Virginia—where I have lived since 2004—because Congress no longer works for the people. People like you and me can change this.”
Deep’s parents emigrated from India over 50 years ago. His father was a refugee during India’s partition. Both parents arrived in an America that was a land of opportunity for many Americans and new immigrants, yet a place of racial division and injustice for those still excluded from the American Dream. Born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, Deep often felt like an outsider growing up — and this experience made all the difference in his understanding of the potential and promise of America. He was able to see the differences and common ground between cultures and faiths, and he learned to avoid the many ways in which people can divide ourselves from one another. More than anything, he learned why America is the greatest nation on the planet, and must be a model for the world.
Deep has been an educator his entire adult life, and his experience has shown him that students thrive when teachers have the power to decide what happens in the classroom. In a moment when politicians, corporations, and technological developments are stripping teachers of their autonomy, Deep founded and runs a school, Loudoun School for the Gifted, based on the premise that the adults who know their subjects and their students best should lead the way. By showing what is possible in his private school, Deep hopes to build the case for greater teacher autonomy where it is regularly under attack: in our public schools.
Deep holds a degree in political science from University of Maryland and attended law school at Georgetown University. He was previously a corporate attorney for large firms in Baltimore and Chicago. He left private legal practice to study how children learn and to work on a Ph.D. in Human Development at University of Maryland. Deep was also recently a columnist for Loudoun Now, where he shared his thoughts on education and democracy.
