Enable graduation of underserved young Indians!

Dear Partner,

This is the exciting and important time of the year which sees several dreams being realized, new doors opening and fantastic futures being created, thanks to YOU!

We are thrilled to share that your contributions have enabled close to 100 students complete their under graduation this year! It was a very proud moment for us when around 40 engineering and science graduates, and 60 commerce and arts graduates, set out on a career path which would transform their world and the lives of their families’!

Your faith in our work has translated into strong futures for students like Nadiya and Surya.

Surya joined DSF when he was in his 8^th grade and has been part of our programmes for the last 9 years. He stays with his grandmother, sister and his mother, a single parent, who has been making ends meet to educate him further. Extremely intelligent, through sheer hard work and a great desire to take care of his mother, Surya always stood first in class. Determined to become an engineer he scored 109 rank in the state level entrance exam, attempted by nearly 180000 students. He also passed the entrance exam to join the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), but declined that for a college in Bangalore, so that he could be close to his family and support them. Shy and reticent, his potential would have gone easily unnoticed if not for the interactions with Subject matter experts and volunteers at DSF Education and Development (E&D) centre. “I’ve been fortunate to have been assigned great mentors at DSF at critical junctures in my life. My mentor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was the one who kindled a great interest in science in me when I was in 10^th grade, and inspired me to pursue it. When I was pursuing my Bachelors in Engineering, I was privileged to have the Managing Director of Microsoft Research, India, as my guide and mentor. Both of them guided me and at all times gave me the support I required”.  An extremely dedicated and quietly determined student, he got quickly recruited by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), through campus recruitment, which is a very coveted and highly competitive public sector job in India!

Another heart-warming success has been of Nadiya’s, who joined DSF when she was in her 11^th grade. Brought up in a very troubled home environment, Nadiya’s parents frequently fought as her father was keen on a son and they were four daughters. She lost her mother at a very young age and her father left all the children to be brought up by her aging grandparents. A very bright student Nadiya pursued commerce and always scored distinction. She had a great passion for cooking and nursed a desire to become a chef and be a part of the hospitality industry. Through DSF she was connected to a mentor in the same line so she could study and also pursue her passion. This opened up many opportunities for her as her mentor helped her secure part time employment and build her culinary skills, as well as, other management skills. Being the eldest, a lot of home responsibilities lay on her shoulders. She attended full time college, worked part time, cooked and supported with home responsibilities, taught her siblings, and with all this, never let her grades slip. She consistently scored distinctions and kept her skills updated through various sessions at DSF E&D centers. She got recruited through on-campus recruitment and now works with Northern Trust bank in a job profile with a lot of growth potential. “I’ll support my family well now and also save so that I can maybe run a part time baking business as well”, she shared with joy and enthusiasm. She is also a permanent member of DSF and now mentors and teaches her younger DSF mates at our E&D centre.

Likewise, several other students also been placed well with multinational companies like Accenture, Hewlett Packard, Mphasis, Mindtree etc. Some of them have also chosen to pursue their education further and enrolled for Master’s degrees.

Surya and Nadiya are just a couple of examples of how YOUR support has enabled youth from underserved backgrounds to march into the future with heads held high and optimism in their strides! Your contribution will impact many generations to come and get us one step closer to an egalitarian society!

We are deeply thankful for your faith in the students and the work we do! We look forward to your continued support and partnership!