"An engineer, a doctor, an astronaut, a historian, a lawyer, a singer - If I learn I can become anything! "
That's the spirit a lot of kids have - especially those who don't get the pampered life and access to opportunities that came my way right from 15th June 1988! It's a cause that's close to my heart - kids who have ambitions, dreams and perseverance must have opportunities. Having worked closely teaching these kids at Vidya, I've grown stonger in my conviction.
Recently, Rahul and I organized a visit for these to IIT and its state of the art facilities. The kids were amazed at the possibilities of studying here. A girl stopped outside the Aerospace Department and breathed in the holy air promising herself she'd come back there in 2 years! I certainly hope she does. We had a critical thinking and science experiment session and the nascent minds just left me awestruck. There is so much potential that goes untapped and for the most unfair reason - birth into an economically disadvantaged family.So, a Mess Worker came to me and asked me to meet her daughter and inspire her when I was in Second Year at IIT. I went, met her and was actually saddened to have discovered that she could not afford JEE Coaching so is going for HSC tuitions only. She was from the Campus School in IIT and wanted to study in IIT where she'd spent her whole life! Unfortunately, I could not do much back then and just helped her reach out for what was within her means. She is now studying Electical Engineering in interior Maharashtra.
But, there is a solution now, Avanti Fellows - a startup which helps underprivileged students study at India's best universities. It's very satisfying to work with driven and motivated people passionate about the same cause - and convert a lot of children's dreams into reality! Rahul, Vaibhav, Akshay, Krishna, Rohit - you guys amaze me with your passion and hard work!
The Avanti Fellows program supports underprivileged students with coaching for competitive exams, mentorship and financial aid through their high school and undergraduate education.
Do visit our Facebook page and spread the word about this cause! Make a difference to several children's lives! Visit our webpage and sign up to be a Mentor -
We need all the help we can get! Please get involved and make every Avanti Fellow learn so he/she can become anything - "An engineer, a doctor, an astronaut, a historian, a lawyer, a singer!"
