Global Indianstory Global IndianFilling the gap: These young Indian girls are breaking stereotypes in the world of STEM

Filling the gap: These young Indian girls are breaking stereotypes in the world of STEM

Written by: Team GI Youth

(May 27, 2022) Many girls and women are held back by biases, social norms and expectations influencing the quality of the education they receive, leading to an under-representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and consequently in STEM careers. According to the recent UNESCO report Cracking the Code: Girls’ and women’s education in STEM, only 35 percent of STEM students in higher education globally are women, and differences are observed within STEM disciplines.

Although, slowly but surely, things are changing. Many young girls are at the helm in STEM as deft decision makers and as harbingers of change. Global Indian takes a look at these young marvels, who are working tirelessly to solve several global issues.

Priyanka Srivastava, NASA scientist

Indian-American Priyanka Srivastava is among the nine Indians who successfully made NASA’s Perseverance Rover land on Mars. Although born in the US, Priyanka grew up in the lanes of Lucknow, completing her pre-university education at Mount Carmel School and BTech in electronics and communication from Punjab University. Later, she enrolled at the University of Michigan in the United States for higher education.

Priyanka Srivastava

Taking inspiration from her idol Kalpana Chawla, Priyanka was keen to become an astronaut. Despite financial struggles, her family was the wind beneath her wings who encouraged her to pursue her dreams passionately. It was during this time that she met Sunita Williams at an event and confessed how she (Williams) was nothing short of a Guru to her.

The passion translated into an internship with the Denver branch of NASA, and later she was selected to work in NASA JPL, California. Those four years of NASA gave her the exposure to work on three flight missions. Currently, she is working for the Europa Clipper mission in the capacity of a Project Verification and Validation (V&V) engineer.

“I have been extremely lucky to be part of great teams. All my group supervisors have been women. In the Europa mission, for example, there is a 60-40 ratio between men and women. The lead chief engineer in the project is a woman. NASA is also making an effort to bridge the pay gap between men and women,” The Week quoted Priyanka Srivastava as saying.

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Arunima Sen, innovator and designer

A young Arunima Sen was often in awe of her parents who spent hours discussing and working on various projects for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). She was eager to know about the science they were discussing, especially physics. That’s how she developed an interest in the subject and started working on innovative solutions for global problems. When she was in grade 10, she was also selected for a programme The Junior Academy conducted by The New York Academy of Sciences.

Arunima Sen

This passion for innovation has led to many solutions. From measuring micro-nutrients in a person’s body using strands of hair to developing a method to save energy in high-rise buildings, the 20-year-old has found a solution to every problem in most developing countries. A climate activist, Arunima has been on important youth-focused panels, led conversations on climate justice and conveyed the importance of climate action.

The young girl is the recipient of several international and national awards — including the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, MPower Financing Women in STEM Grand Award, the Distinguished Student Award from the New York Academy of Sciences — and has been named a 2020 Global Teen Leader of the We Are Family Foundation and one of The Mars Generation’s 24 under 24 Innovators in STEM and Space.

During an interaction with the press, Arunima had said, “I am currently being mentored by professionals from Sidewalk Labs — an urban innovation company working to make cities more sustainable and affordable for all. Since the pandemic had brought many discussions and assignments to a halt, my friend and I are working to resume it soon.”

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Rhea Jethvani, Edison Scholar

A student of Oxford Academy in California, Rhea Jethvani knew she wanted to pursue a career in STEM since she was a baby. The youngster, who led a team in creating IOTAnet – a centralised security management platform for the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Apps for Digital Peace competition, plans to dedicate herself to cybersecurity safety to protect her community and spread awareness on this danger.

Rhea Jethvani

The co-founder of her school’s first Hackathon Learnathon, where she held a workshop on basics of cryptography highlighting the importance of password encryption, Rhea plans to major in computer science. She is one of the 2022 Edison Scholars, a scholarship that’s given to 30 students to pursue STEM. During a press interaction after the scholarship was announced, Rhea said, “My pursuit of applying cybersecurity skills to help build a more resistant society is just beginning and I’m excited to protect my community from the evolving danger.”

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Sahithi Pingali, eco-entrepreneur

A Stanford University student, Sahithi Pingali is an expert in sustainability, business, and computer science. The 19-year-old Bengaluru eco-warrior crowdsourced funds to study the 10 polluted lakes in her home city, when she was just 15. Despite writing several emails to the professors at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru for her project, the young environmentalist was not discouraged when she told that she “wasn’t old enough for such lab work.” Instead, it strengthened her fervour to do more.

Sahithi Pingali

In four years, the coding enthusiast created the app WaterInsights and a testing kit to collect data from the sulfurous lakes. The project took her to Los Angeles in 2017, as one of the top finalists at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), at which MIT named the eponymous planet 34014, Pingali.

The teen innovator’s journey has been recorded in the documentary Inventing Tomorrow, wherein she is featured alongside three international ISEF finalists who presented cutting-edge solutions to tackle water, air and soil pollution.

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Published on 27, May 2022

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Finding his tempo: The rise and rise of tabla maestro Truptraj

(March 5, 2022) A tabla gifted to his father by a friend caught Truptraj Pandya's eye even before he had learned to walk. The instrument lay unused in a corner of the house. By the time he was 15 months old, he was already playing it, showing, even then, a prodigious talent for music which his parents noticed and encouraged. Today, at the age of 15, the young tabla maestro is well on his way to becoming the face of India's tabla landscape and has given over 200 public performances. He has been a guest of honour at major events and seminars and created a buzz in the media - local, national and international. In 2019, dressed in maroon attire, he stood proudly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi to receive his Bal Shakti Puraskar. Truptraj Atul Pandya is a master percussionist He is an established radio and TV artist as well, who has given more than several live performances. Proud that he has been conferred the Bal Shakti Puraskar. pic.twitter.com/iZu8ThvxH0 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 24, 2019 Fame and accolades have not robbed the young tabla maestro of his humility - he is modest and friendly during his interview with Global Indian.

Finding a guru

When Truptraj was about two years old, his father took him to attend Ustad Zakir Hussain's concert. The maestro took notice of the young prodigy and helped him out, connecting him to his disciple, Dhyaneshwar Popalghat, from the Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music for proper guidance. "My taalim started when I was about three and my association with my Guru still continues, even after 12 years," Truptraj smiles. He is now undergoing advanced training under Pandit Nayan Ghosh and has also been blessed by legends like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasiya and Ustad Iqbal Ahmad Khan.

[caption id="attachment_11917" align="aligncenter" width="519"] Little Truptraj with Guinness Book of World Records certificate[/caption]

Encouraged by his parents and his Guru, Truptraj made his bid for the Guinness World Records when he was six years old. Even that, he believes, could have happened earlier. "My father applied for it a little late because he wanted to be sure that it was more than just a short-lived interest to me." His father's fears were unfounded, for Truptraj's love for the tabla has only grown stronger with time. The young tabla maestro devotes himself to perfecting his craft, leaving the details of managing his schedule to his father.

[caption id="attachment_11934" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Truptraj Pandya[/caption]

A student and a star

Truptraj is in the middle of the all-important Class X and exams are around the corner. Nothing holds him back from his riyaaz, however. "I might cut short the duration of my practice if I have exams but I never skip it," he says. The Covid-19 lockdown left him with ample time on his hands, with classes taking place from home. And the ace performer doesn't just juggle school and music, he also loves sports, serving as his school's basketball team captain for four years until 2019.

"My teachers and friends are very supportive," he says. "I have always taken proper permission from school before traveling for live performances. They make sure I don't miss out on notes and important assignments," adds the young maestro.

[caption id="attachment_11944" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Truptraj with President, Ram Nath Kovind[/caption]

In fact, no school event is complete without the musical stylings of Truptraj Pandya. "My teachers give equal opportunity and support to every pupil and my friends aren't my friends because of the tabla, our friendship comes from the heart," he says. The young maestro remains unconcerned by the looming exam season - he knows he has studied enough to do well. "My last performance was in December but if something comes up, I will take the opportunity," he says, now seasoned at juggling his many priorities. His favourite subject, he says, is history and he prefers documentaries to reading a textbook.

[caption id="attachment_11930" align="aligncenter" width="649"] Truptraj's family[/caption]

Follow your heart, he tells teens

Being on stage across India, with lakhs of people watching him, gives Truptraj a thrill like no other. "This is just the beginning, I have a long way to go," he says, modestly. "I love stage performances, though. I feel a little nervous just before I begin but once I begin playing my tabla, my fears vanish. The music takes over me and I'm confident that I won't let the audience and myself down," he says.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4X_cIb18K8[/embed]

"Do what you love" is his advice to other teenagers. "Don't give into pressure at home or from family, if you do, you will only get tired and quit someday. But if you do things that you love, you will not get tired of it, you will always be hungry for more. You will remain motivated and passionate. Practice more and be patient," he signs off.

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Bending it like Huzaib: Kashmiri footballer Shah has mastered 400 trick-shots

(March 17, 2022) On a sunny day in 2016, a bored Shah Huzaib casually stepped out of his home in Charar-e-Shareef in central Kashmir's Budgam district when he spotted three friends playing football. They asked him to fill in as a goalkeeper. It was a time when Kashmir was witnessing violence following the Burhan Wani killing which led to the closure of schools, internet shut down and several restrictions. [caption id="attachment_12737" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Shah Huzaib, footballer and trick-shot artiste[/caption] A few kicks and playing goalkeeper later, Huzaib felt drawn towards the sport. Before he knew it, the sport had become a passion. For the next two years, he fine-tuned his skills and built a reputation as a football trick-short artiste. Over a period of time, the Kashmiri lad mastered 400 different types of trick-shots, which won hearts across the internet. His mind boggling trickery took him to newer heights after the freestyle footballer got shoutouts from Indian football team skipper Bhaichung Bhutia, sports minister Kiren Rijiju, Bollywood star Suniel Shetty and more recently, from Real Madrid and Germany footballer Toni Kroos, who shared a video of Huzaib's trick-shots. Amazing Trick Shots; Keep up the good work Shah! #keepgoing pic.twitter.com/zKaTWnH9Et —

ywood star Suniel Shetty and more recently, from Real Madrid and Germany footballer Toni Kroos, who shared a video of Huzaib's trick-shots.

Amazing Trick Shots; Keep up the good work Shah! #keepgoing pic.twitter.com/zKaTWnH9Et

— Bhaichung Bhutia (@bhaichung15) March 3, 2021

"My aim is to make trick-shots popular in India. I will be seeking help from the Indian Army to take trick-shots to every nook and corner of the country. I want to represent Kashmir and India on the international level someday," Huzaib tells Global Indian. The most recent feather in his cap was when he was selected for India's Got Talent season 9, for which he travelled to Delhi. "All the appreciation made me work harder," he says.

[caption id="attachment_12736" align="aligncenter" width="819"] Shah Huzaib, trick-shot artiste[/caption]

Footie, and its beautiful shots

Before the football bug bit him, Huzaib, like a majority of Indians, was a die-hard cricket fan. Born in January 2002, his love affair with cricket began as a kindergartner. "I used to watch a lot of matches on TV, and watching Virat Kohli play led me to play cricket. I used to go to the local stadium every Friday and Sunday for matches," informs the 20-year-old, whose father is in the fruit business, and mother a homemaker.

[caption id="attachment_12734" align="aligncenter" width="853"] Shah Huzaib, trick-shot artiste[/caption]

As he switched to football in 2016 after his chance introduction to the sport, Huzaib took the game a notch higher. Watching Cristiano Ronaldo on YouTube and other trick-shots videos, he was quick to buy a pair of football shoes, and practice rigorously. Thereafter, it was trick-shots all the way. "Of the 400 trick-shots I've mastered, some are very difficult, requiring focus and regular practice," smiles the youngster, who schooled at Life School Kashmir and later at Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Charar-e-Sharif.

As he first burst onto the scene with his trick-shots, Huzaib received a lot of attention from Kashmiris. Soon the Kashmiri media took note of his talent and the resultant exposure motivated him to further hone his skills. Huzaib then got featured on a popular YouTube page, wherein his trick shots fetched him five million views. He went on to be featured on several other platforms including Oh My Goal, Sportskeeda, and Wion, etc.

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A post shared by Suniel Shetty (@suniel.shetty)

Religious with his practice, Huzaib ensures he gets in one hour of practice each day. “For each trick-shot, the skills required are different. The sport requires patience and hardwork and no one can learn or perform them overnight," says the young lad, who hopes to get government support take up football as a full-time profession.

Trick-shots, says Huzaib, connected him with the world too. "The government needs to work more on sportspersons and provide them with the facilities to encourage and promote their talent. Only then can many here take up sports and do something meaningful, especially in Kashmir," feels the youngster. "For now, my family and friends support me and share my work," says Huzaib, who was preparing for his class 10 examinations when the Centre abrogated Article 370, which plunged Kashmir into chaos and uncertainty.

The talent to kick-off

When Huzaib got a call from India's Got Talent team, he was on cloud nine. "I travelled to Delhi in October 2021 for auditions. I got an opportunity to interact with immensely talented people from across the country. Delhi has a lot of opportunities for talented people when compared to Kashmir," says the trick-shot artiste, who likes to watch movies in his free time.

"Early on in life, I was often confused whether I should become a cricketer or a doctor. But now, my life revolves around football," smiles the trick-shot artiste, who aims to make it big in the sport.

While Huzaib continues to make waves with his skills, the youngster has had to face quite a few challenges. He now hopes for far more recognition. "Government support apart, even society does not appreciate or support what I do. Even the footballing scenario is not very developed," he rues.

Follow Shah Huzaib on Twitter

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Vedant Harlalka: The teen innovator making breakthroughs in 3D printing and IoT

(April 27, 2022) Turning a problem into an opportunity is what Mumbai-based Vedant Harlalka believes in. As an eighth-grader, Vedant thought 3D printers were expensive, and he created one that was economical. Not just this, during the pandemic, he ideated on an automatic hand-sanitiser dispenser. “Pushing the boundaries and moving beyond limits is what I truly believe in. At a time when my friends were watching YouTube videos, I was busy making them. Constant evolution is what keeps us moving forward in life,” Vedant says in an interview with Global Indian. A member of Model United Nations, the 15-year-old has engineering and IoT (internet of things) at the core of everything he does. “I began exploring it at the age of 11, and soon found myself immersed in the world of innovation,” adds the keynote speaker at Global Youth Education Summit. [caption id="attachment_15540" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Vedant Harlalka working on 3D printer prototype[/caption] A self-taught innovator Born in Singapore in 2006 to a stockbroker father and a CA mother (now a homemaker), Vedant moved to Mumbai with his family when he was a year-and-a-half as his parents wanted to raise him amongst extended family. Growing up in the era of technology,

ught innovator

Born in Singapore in 2006 to a stockbroker father and a CA mother (now a homemaker), Vedant moved to Mumbai with his family when he was a year-and-a-half as his parents wanted to raise him amongst extended family. Growing up in the era of technology, he loved referring to YouTube reviews before buying a gadget. This stirred something in him. “I wanted to be confident in front of the camera,” says Vedant who started his own YouTube channel in grade IV. “I loved reviewing gadgets, and my channel helped me learn scripting, production, and post-production,” adds the innovator who continued this for two years before sinking his teeth into the world of Arduino.

"Reviewing gadgets made me inquisitive about their making. This curiosity led me to learn the basics of computer science through Harvard’s cs50 course on edX. It gave me an insight into a whole new world,” reveals Vedant who explains Arduino as a “printed circuit board which when attached to sensors and modules helps convert ideas into prototypes.”

Turning problems into opportunities

The teenager took a leap of faith into the world of innovation and when “opportunity struck” during Covid-19, he and two seniors created an automatic hand sanitiser dispenser. “Going to grocery stores, we saw that people had to tap the sanitiser bottles, which could potentially spread the virus,” says the St Mary's School student who made a fully functional prototype in 15 days. “We had made small innovations, but with Covid, I knew it was time to do something big. We wanted to give back to society,” adds the young innovator who despite having the first-mover advantage couldn’t turn it into a market-friendly product due to funding and supply chain issues. “The market was in motion, and with ₹15-₹20 lakh needed, the market was saturated with automatic sanitisers in some time,” adds Vedant who refocused on making a cost-efficient 3D printer.

In late 2019, while working on a project with his classmate Ukshaan, he realised the need for a 3D printer for a prototype. But with a decent one costing ₹20,000, these then eighth graders decided to make one under $100. “We realised the potential of making one with recycled electronic scraps like DVD and CD drives instead of the traditional Nema 17 stepper motors, thus cutting down the cost,” explains the Class 10 student who took two years to make the prototype. He is now working on making it a "consumer-friendly product" before patenting it and launching it commercially. "We thought we would finish it in a day, but it took us two years. But those years taught us so much. We learnt through trial and error, and it instilled confidence in us," adds the TEDx speaker for whom it was an uphill task.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFxSNjaNWo8

Overcoming the challenges

With 3D printing still in its nascent stage, the teenager had “few resources”" and had to figure out his way. Vedant also calls the “lack of a mentor” one of the hurdles, initially, however, it turned out to be a learning curve that saw him fit the role of innovator and entrepreneur.

For him, age has always been a double-edged sword. If his innovations have been scoffed at for being a “high school project,” it has at times also added a sense of wonder. “Those who have been supportive of skill and talent, ignore my age,” says Vedant who is gearing up for his board exams.

The young innovator is also the project head at Neuralix, an open-source community with the motive of making the brain-machine interface more accessible to students and tinkerers. “We have developed an open-source development board that can be used to interface machine with the brain. Using the board, you can build a lot of projects with bio-signals,” says the teen innovator who plans to pursue electrical and electronics engineering at IIT Delhi. “I think engineering and IoT will always be at the core of whatever I do,” says the boy who wants to launch a startup in EEE soon.

His parents are the wind beneath his wings. “They have been super supportive. I am thankful that my dad once yelled at me for spending hours playing PubG. That motivated me to use my time on the internet wisely, and led me to learn to code and even mentor students,” says Vedant, adding, “When I was 11-12, I didn’t have any mentor, and was lost. But now with a few years of experience, I want to help youngsters by giving them direction. For me, giving back holds an important place.”

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A post shared by Vedant Harlalka (@vedantharlalka)

Vedant wants youngsters to “look beyond boundaries,” and “take the first step, and the rest will follow. Don’t limit yourself.” The teenager wants to break the misconception of innovators being “nerds.” “I love cycling for 20 km-30 km every day, and am a part of Sobo Riders. I also love walks and swims,” says Vedant who calls hanging out with friends a perfect destressor.

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‘Bow’ down to Indian archery champ Vennam Jyothi Surekha who has 98 medals & counting

(February 27) Aiming high is what Vennam Jyothi Surekha excels at. So much so that the winning streak follows her everywhere. As a three-year-old, she learnt swimming. By five, she had a unique record - swimming five km across the river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh in three hours, 20 minutes and six seconds. With that feat, her name entered the Limca Book of Records (2002). But that was just the beginning of more glory. She took up archery at age 11, and today, she has competed in 25 national and 42 international tournaments (so far) with a whopping 98 medals, making her one of the top Indian compound archers ever. “I believe competition should be with oneself,” smiles Surekha, the archer who has taken the world of archery by storm, winning one championship after the other. The Arjuna awardee who was the youngest from South India to receive the award has immense belief. It helps her better her own record year after year, and perform with unwavering focus. [caption id="attachment_11543" align="aligncenter" width="532"] Vennam Jyothi Surekha[/caption] The latest feather in her cap was the gold she clinched at the Lancaster Archery Classic in Pennsylvania, USA. “It was my first time at

| Archery | Global Indian " width="532" height="709" /> Vennam Jyothi Surekha[/caption]

The latest feather in her cap was the gold she clinched at the Lancaster Archery Classic in Pennsylvania, USA. “It was my first time at the Lancaster archery classic and I was happy to be on the podium. Everything was new to me. I had so many memorable experiences,” says the serial winner, speaking exclusively with Global Indian.

The girl who ‘shot’ to fame

Born in Ramanagaram, Challapalli village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh in July 1996, Surekha is the only child of V Surendra Kumar, and V Sri Durga, who have been huge motivational figures in her life. The first time she was introduced to swimming was in 1999, a suggestion by her parents. Swimming across Krishna river is a faint memory, though Surekha recalls her parents taking her to the river to practice before the final attempt.

She took to archery too on her parents’ suggestion. Given the lack of sports infrastructure in Vijayawada, the idea was to try another sport. “They put me into archery as they wanted me to represent the country at the international level one day,” beams the 25-year-old. She first trained under local archer J Rama Rao (2008-2012), then made her way to the Indian Compound Archery chief coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja, and has been training with him since 2013.

Focused precision

Schooled at Nalanda Vidya Niketan in Vijayawada, she did computer engineering (B.Tech) and MBA from KL University, Vaddeswaram, passing both with distinction. Now, totally committed to archery, Surekha’s numbers tell an exemplary tale of courage and success. With over 50 state medals (2008-2012), 60 national medals in the under-13 to senior national which includes 38 gold medals, 13 silver and nine bronze, she has made medal-winning a habit.

Silverware follows this focused archer internationally too – she won 10 gold, 17 silver and 11 bronze medals, totalling 38. A shining star in Indian sports, Surekha has participated in five World Championship, World Cup (19), World University Games (2), World University Championship (1), Asian Games and others -- totalling 42 international tournaments. Most comfortable competing individually, she also participates in mixed categories too.

A ‘bull’s eye’ for the country

“Listening to the national anthem after winning golds at international championships has been the proudest moment of my life. It inspires me to take India further up in world archery rankings,” says the ace archer who comes from a simple farming family. Her parents and their struggles have inspired this archer, who was at one time among the world’s top 10. The fact that her father was a kabaddi player, who instilled a love for sports in her, has a lot to do with her chosen path too.

Her job at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited under the Group-A sportspersons category, helps her follow that passion, and she is ever grateful. A tough regime is involved - six hours practice, two hours of physical training daily.

Her first bow, a Hoyt Rintek bow will always be most special. Shooting or archery is a focused sport, thus yoga and meditation help her find the calm amidst the storm, while gym sessions help improve her shoulder strength and cardio. Often, she can be seen hard at work at the Sports Authority of India, Sonepat, among the best centres for archery in India.

Thankful to Khelo India, which supports budding archers with equipment and training, the archery champ loves the facilities at the Sai centres. Receiving the Arjuna Award has been the biggest honour yet. “Receiving such a prestigious award gives one recognition for one’s achievements. It also motivates me to bring more laurels to the country,” she adds.

Her medals tally grows

Looking forward to the world cups, world games and Asian Games, Surekha is confident that she will continue her medal spree. An inspiration for many, Surekha guides amateurs passionate about sports. “There will be hurdles, choices to make between sports, academics or anything else. Give your 100 percent in achieving something, and take the right decisions at the right time with the right people,” she concludes.

Her career graph:

Only player to have won 3 Silver medals in a single Sr World Championship.
Only archer to win 6 medals in the Sr World Championships.
She won the 1st ever individual medal for India in women’s category in the World Championship in 2019.
She is the only player with world top 10 rankings in compound archery in individual, mixed team and women's team – a rare achievement.
In 2018, the Indian archery women’s team secured its first ever world no 1 rank. Jyothi Surekha’s performance contributed majorly to this.
She is the first ever Indian compound woman to achieve 4^th rank in the world rankings.
Her 6 - medal tally in World Cups, 2018 is the best by an Indian compound archer.
She has a national record of 710/720 to her name.
Awarded with Krida Ratna Award by Akkineni Foundation, USA in 2014

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Aisha Nazia: The only Indian woman to be selected for FIFA Master course

One of Aisha Nazia's fondest memories is of her standing in a crowd and watching a football match with bated breath. As her favorite team scored the perfect goal, the Kozhikode-born football fan was euphoric. Her hometown is a mecca for football and it wasn't long before love for the game rubbed off on Nazia, who has now been selected for the prestigious FIFA Master program. She is the only Indian woman out of the 32 people that were selected from across the world for the program. Chosen out of 700 applicants, Nazia has become an inspiration for dreamers as well as go-getters. A postgraduate sports executive program, organized in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), the FIFA Master course is nothing short of an Ivy league program. The 26-year-old Indian has made the cut this year, but not without her share of struggles and challenges. As she quit a lucrative job to pursue her dreams, Nazia didn't find many supporters, but she was determined to follow through on her plan. How a childhood dream found wings Born in Kozhikode to Malayalam Muslim parents, Nazia found herself

im parents, Nazia found herself attracted to the game even as a child. After her parents' divorce when she was five, Nazia moved to Chennai with her mother who was then a teacher. But summer vacations took her back to her hometown each year where she fell in love with football. "I loved the way football brought the entire town together and it was the best show of secularism. It was at this tender age that my affinity towards football began to grow," she tells Global Indian in an exclusive interview from London where she has kick started the first leg of her course.

[caption id="attachment_10971" align="aligncenter" width="392"] Aisha Nazia at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester[/caption]

While the soccer field made Nazia quite happy, she was equally ecstatic nestled between her pile of books. After securing the eighth rank in mechanical engineering at University of Kerala, she found herself working with the Indian Oil-Adani Group Pvt Ltd in Kochi in 2017. Two years before she entered the corporate world though, Nazia had volunteered as a football facilitator for the 2015 National Games that were held in Kerala. Then a third year student at TKM College of Engineering, she heard about the games being held in her city and couldn't let the opportunity slip by. "It gave me the perfect exposure to the sporting industry and the workings of it," she adds.

The turning point

Though her job at Indian Oil kept her happy, she would often find herself drawn to the varied sporting events taking place in the country. So when the FIFA Under 17 World Cup was set to make its debut on Indian soil, Nazia found herself looking for volunteer opportunities on their website. Despite the fact that she didn't have a sports management degree, Nazia rolled the dice of fate and applied for the role of a workforce manager. Luck was on her side, and the 26-year-old found herself at one of the biggest sporting spectacles. Those months with FIFA turned out to be a game changer for this young woman as she learnt the tricks of the trade and found her true calling in sports management. In 2018, she quit her job to chase her dream and moved to Bengaluru.

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Since sporting events in India happen only once every few months, Nazia took up jobs as a consultant with startups to keep her stable financially. In between, she worked on two seasons of the Indian Super League.

When NBA found itself playing in India for the first time ever in 2019, the organizers got in touch with Nazia after reading a feature on her on FIFA. The conversation soon translated into an operations role in logistics.

A chance meeting

After working with the best for a few years and gaining valuable insights into the world of sports management, Nazia knew she was ready to take it a notch higher with the FIFA Master course, something she had heard about six years ago. "While volunteering at the National Games in 2015, a referee from Tamil Nadu who had trained under the Premiere League saw potential in me and encouraged me to take up the FIFA Master course," adds Nazia. But she wanted to give herself four years after her graduation before taking a plunge into any Masters program.

[caption id="attachment_10974" align="aligncenter" width="395"] Aisha Nazia at NBA matches in India.[/caption]

So when the entire world came to a standstill in 2020 and sporting events became a rarity, Nazia knew it was the right time to pursue her FIFA Master dream. "The selection process for this course is like it would be for an Ivy league school. This year 32 students were selected from a pool of 700 applicants across 29+ countries," adds the Kozhikode native. The one year course will have Nazia travel to three countries (England, Italy and Switzerland) to complete her Masters in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport.

Crowdfunding, not charity

If securing a seat among 700 students wasn't a rigorous process, Nazia found herself raising 22,000 CHF (approximately ₹28 lakh) for the course. She is one among the three students to have secured a merit scholarship which has halved her course fee, but the amount is still heavy on her pocket. "In a country like India, you can apply for an education loan against mortgage of property or gold, and I had nothing as security. Crowdfunding seemed like a wise decision to raise money for my education," says Nazia.

It was her mentor Gautham Chattopadhaya, who works with NASA, who advised her to opt for crowdfund. "Abroad, it's a very common concept to raise money for education, but in India, it's still at its nascent stage. I weighed my options for a long time and even posted on LinkedIn to get some feedback. Many encouraged me to go for it as they couldn't pursue their dreams owing to financial constraints. The stories of people on the post made me take it up as a social cause to empower people to follow their dreams. Education is a basic necessity and I decided to go forward with it to raise money and also inspire others to follow their dreams," adds Nazia.

[caption id="attachment_10977" align="aligncenter" width="423"] Aisha Nazia at Indian Super League 2019-2020[/caption]

With GoFundMe inaccessible to Indians, Nazia opted for Ketto to raise money for her education. "In India, crowdfunding is mostly restricted to medical emergencies, so my plea to raise money for education falls a little short in comparison to their issues."

However, this reality check has inspired Nazia to launch an education crowdfunding platform for Indian students soon. "I want to start a platform for people who dream of studying in India or abroad but are unable to do so due to financial constraints. My priority would be to get meritorious students their due through this crowdfunding platform," she explains.

[caption id="attachment_10979" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Aisha Nazia at a sporting event.[/caption]

The future

Nazia, who is currently at De Montfort University in Leicester, is excited for the program. "It will be an enriching experience with lots of learning and field trips. After completing three months in the UK, we will move to Italy for the next quarter. And the last six months will be in Switzerland, which is also the headquarters of FIFA. Getting to work with their management will be exciting. Also, at the end of course, FIFA selects three people for employment," reveals Nazia.

Being an advocate of sustainability, Nazia plans to work for the development of the Indian sports ecosystem after the completion of her course. "I want to focus on inclusion, youth development and come up with solutions to reduce carbon footprint during a sports event," signs off Nazia.

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