Enable 100 low-income girls to complete graduation

During the reporting period of time, the programme has given the opportunity for our new and alumnae fellows to share their experiences and learnings with each other.  Following are few events organised to provide platform of sharing to our fellows.

Interchapter Meet

Fellows across all centers of Delhi chapter came togther to meet, interact, brainstorm and take forward USF to greater heights. Deliberating on the multi-faceted activities of the Udayan Shalini Fellowship Programme (USF), the meet was to share and learn from each others’ innovative, successful strategies and practices.

Understanding the progress of each of the chapters, their challenges were discussed at length leading to with suggestions and reference helps for networking. In totality the two day meet gave ample food for thought in terms of recommendations to addressing the recruitment process of Shalinis, creating a standard model across all chapters, strengthening of mentoring and core committee.

All in all, the ultimate goal to replicate the unique model of the programme across chapters for qualitative improvement was held supreme. Undoubtedly the interchapter meet was one enriching platform that brought the joined the common thread and brought the chapters closer.

Celebrating Being a Shalini Fellow - Usf Alumnae Meet

The 4^th USF Alumnae Meet was held with great zeal and enthusiasm on 1^st February. The meet started with the pledge that all shalini’s took in the beginning of their journey and went on with sharing their experiences, learnings, strengths,  challenges faced and battles won in their journey.

Quarterly Workshops

The workshop was annuagrated with an inspirational speech by one of our Aluminae – Semma ( name Changed) who is currently working in marketing sector. She inspired the young fellows to identify their hidden talents and skills and polish them to the level that they become their strengths.

Success Story –

Seema ( Name Changed)

Today Seema’s dreams have touched the sky, which has happened quite literally. Becoming an Udayan Shalini Fellow in the year 2008-09 as a 7^th batch fellow, she was a regular hardworking student, but not a conventional thinker. Today Seema is a confident Flight Attendant with Saudi Arabian Airlines and staying at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This life altering journey was been both unimaginable and eventful.

Growing up in a rented accommodation, she knew the economic limitations of her family of five members. It was this crucial period of her academic life and personality transition that USF touched her. She always dreamt different but never realized that these could be within her reach. The financial hurdles were no more the road blocks to her education with the monetary support received from USF.

“My dreams saw the light at the end of the tunnel when I got selected for the USF fellowship”. It not only supported me financially but gave me the much needed direction to pursue my dreams. For the first time, she felt confident enough of herself and capable to do something. The guidance from the mentor and the quarterly workshops instilled strength to speak about her own self, her ideas and her dreams .After completing her graduation she got a job with Convergys .But destiny was making a place for her dreams. Meanwhile she cleared the interview for this international airline and got the golden opportunity to be a part of its crew and fulfill her childhood dream. Today she has traveled to 11 countries and has many more on her check list. “I will soon get my visa for the United States and will fly to the US and after that to China”, says an overwhelmed Seema.

Going for her dreams also meant developing equivalent degree of courage which entailed living away from family, facing the real challenges on her own, being strong emotionally. But she does it with passion and patience at the same time. Contributing to the family income, today she knows the value of money that once came to her in the form of a scholarship. She still wants to do an MBA and hopes to settle as a Manager to give her career a new twist.

Whenever she is in India she makes it a point to meet her USF family. Recently attending the USF Alumnae Meet she recollected vividly the memories of her journey of attending quarterly and small group workshops, residential camp and growing as a Shalini Fellow. It is only symbolic that she took about two minutes to recognize her own picture clicked at the residential camp. Undoubtedly she has come a long way emerging as a different, confident and empowered girl Shalini.