In 2019, Vaamaa graduated from UC Berkeley with a clear vision in mind for the future of DARE. The seed for change was sown even earlier, during her time studying Social Policy, Politics and International Relations at Malvern College in the UK. For Vaamaa, an inner call to contribute towards the empowerment of young girls has always played on her mind.

Having inherited the values and legacy of community care from the Baldota Family, news of a rape every day in India, or of girls being eve-teased and harassed, kept her worried.

While on a study break in her hometown of Hospet, Karnataka, this was further bolstered when she heard her house help's daughter's traumatic experience of being molested. Rattled by the story, yet determined to make a difference, she joined the Unarmed Commando Combat Academy at Mumbai to learn their style of self-defense that focussed on using the right techniques, rather than power.