08 Oct 2019
One of our main goals at Cambridge International is to prepare students for life. Education is not just about studying a set of subjects and taking exams. It’s also about developing students holistically – supporting their different interests and giving them opportunities to find out where their strengths lie.
With industry linkages, international collaborations and smart classrooms, our 500 Cambridge International Schools in India are helping students to see a bigger picture for their future. By offering academic curricula from Cambridge International alongside social and vocational projects, schools are also helping students to bridge the gap between the classroom and the real-world. We would like to present the profiles of some ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ in India who have applied the skills and knowledge gained in their Cambridge programmes to launch successful new ventures. Their efforts are inspiring!
Naayaa Mehta - The Shri Ram School, Moulsari
Naayaa Mehta’s concerns about bullying in schools led her to design a mobile and web service to enable students to report bullying and other concerns anonymously. She designed a personal security SOS band with an extremely loud audible alarm for panic situations, flashing lights, and the facility to record audio as evidence of bullying.
Naayaa says the Cambridge curriculum taught at her school and the teaching methods used by her teachers gave her the confidence and ability to reflect upon a problem, to think creatively and find a workable solution. Joining the Young Entrepreneurs Academy when she was in Grade 7 (2017-8) gave her the opportunity she needed to produce and present a solution to bullying. She took on the challenge and excelled at it.
Dia Ajmera - Jayshree Periwal International School (Class of 2011)
Dia Ajmera is the founder of a fashion label called ‘Pasha India’ and owns a flagship store in Jaipur, as well as an online retail business. She launched this label in 2014 as soon as she completed her studies. The label has consistently provided luxurious, fashionable clothes that are cleverly adapted to contemporary Indian sensibilities. She has been recognized with various awards such as the Women’s Recognition Award 2018 by Rajasthan Patrika; recognized as one of the '15 Most Powerful Young Women of Jaipur 2018' by The Social Lit. Her designs have been worn by various celebrities such as Malaika Arora Khan, Amrita Rao, Sania Mirza, Sunny Leone, Sana Khan, and Divya Khosla Kumar.
Karan Singh Soin - The Shri Ram School, Moulsari
Karan is the founder of TSRS (The Shri Ram School) DigIndia Digital Literacy Program. He initiated the programme when he was in Grade 10. When Karan came across the Prime Minister’s PMGDISHA Digital Literacy programme, he thought it would be the perfect initiative for students to participate in. The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHMA) is a dynamic and integrated platform of digital literacy awareness, education and capacity programmes that will help rural communities fully participate in the global digital economy.
With the support of his teacher, he gathered a team of 15 students from The Shri Ram School and christened the initiative 'TSRS DigIndia'. After two months of communication with the government officials, they agreed to be an official partner of the DigIndia Digital Literacy Program. The organisation has already imparted digital education to three batches of about 50 people each in the rural areas. They already have another 850 people of the rural community on the waiting list eager to get started. Through this initiative, Karan and his team hopes to play their part in fulfilling the government’s aim of making India 100% digitally literate by 2025.
Y Netra Reddy, Rishab Raja, Naveen Palanjappan, Harshini Sampriti Shankar - KC High
These students created a granola bar called 'Lekker Granola Bar' as part of the Business Studies Entrepreneurship Project and later turned it into an actual business model and opportunity for themselves. The owner of a restaurant tasted the granola bars when these were being sold at the school’s Christmas Carnival and showed his interest in selling them. Students and their teacher met the restaurant owners and decided they would supply these bars to their new store at the Coimbatore airport. As a result, 'Lekker Bars' is now a registered company and more flavours have been added to the range. Lekker’s aim is to sell granola bars using healthy, high-quality ingredients at an affordable price.
Nakshh Kohli - The Shri Ram School, Moulsari
Nakshh a grade 10 student of The Shri Ram School has been actively interested in coding as well as on the entrepreneurial business front. He used the amalgamated learning of both the above and his love and passion for digital initiatives to conceptualise, design, code and implement an online e-commerce portal. The portal sells unique, customised and high-end handcrafted products, distributed and marketed digitally.
Nakshh has also started a social initiative with one of his school friends, focusing on mental health for teens especially those in disadvantaged communities with no access to trained counsellors. You can find information about the project at www.happinessproject.co.in Nakshh has coded this website by himself and is hoping to integrate this initiative, as it scales up, under UN goals for sustainable development, under mental health and hygiene.