Kusum belongs to a family of uneducated landless farmers who work on other people's lands. Mahendra Kumar comes from a family of generational barbers with a humble background.
Milan Ramdhari comes from a backward community and his father is an auto-rickshaw driver.
Kusum, Mahendra and Milan Ramdhari are among 5 talented senior secondary school students from underprivileged backgrounds who have secured admissions in renowned universities in the US in undergraduate Computer Sciences programs.
Milan Ramdhari will be joining Virginia Tech and Tanisha Nagori will join Case Western Reserve University. Kusum Choudhary, Mahendra Kumar and Nisha Choudhary have received multiple admissions from several universities including University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, University of California - Santa Cruz, and Arizona State University.
Many more admissions for these students are expected over the coming weeks. These students are amongst 400 talented students enrolled in Sitare Foundation's education programs across various Indian cities. The Foundation's aim is to "Transform fifty thousand lives through education by 2050."
The Foundation run by NRI couple Shilpa Singhal and Amit Singhal works towards empowering children from impoverished backgrounds by assisting them to enter middle school (through an aptitude test and an interview for admission in Class VI) and providing them with quality education for seven years.
Alongside academics, Sitare especially focusses on building their social, emotional and language capabilities to prepare them for a successful future as a world class professional, starting with preparing them for admissions into prestigious universities in India and in the United States. Sitare's unique style of one-on-one mentorship, led by its founder Shilpa Singhal, has been pivotal to the success. Buoyed by the admissions in top US universities, the Foundation is hoping for similar success from the students taking various undergraduate entrance exams in India.
According to Shilpa Singhal, Founder, Sitare Foundation "I have personally witnessed the transformative power of education in my studies from Cornell University (Masters of Engineering, Computer Science) and Binghamton University (MS, Physics). My deep involvement with my children's education, and my volunteer work in schools led me to realize the advantage privileged children have over the underprivileged just because they won the birth lottery. This led to the start of Sitare Foundation. The challenge of educating underprivileged children might seem daunting, but that does not, and will never, deter us from our mission."
Amit Singhal, Founder, Sitare Foundation says "Education has a major role to play in ensuring the growth of our nation as an economic powerhouse and achieving PM Modi's vision of transforming India into a $5 trillion economy. It is something that each and every human being deserves but the saddest part is that not everyone can afford it. In India, less than half of children finish Class 12. I firmly believe that by supporting these bright minds we not only transform their lives, but also help in building a better and brighter future for this great nation."
Currently Sitare's educational program is spread across Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bhopal, and Indore, and over sixty-five thousand children have registered to take the entrance exam later this month.
The Foundation has partnered with some of the best private schools through which they are able to impart quality education to their bright children. The Foundation's office in Gurugram offers online education through Sitare's experienced faculty to the selected students in a scientific approach.
This story is provided by ATK.will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/ATK)
( With inputs from ANI )
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