Blog
“As 30 inspiring young women are awarded college scholarships for 2019-2020, communities throughout India are feeling the impact that being educated has on a young woman.”
Welcome Shadhika Scholars Class of 2019-2020
By Kendra Nicolai, Shadhika's Program Officer
June 17, 2019
Reading Time: 3 minutes
“I want to stand on my own two feet and become something in my life.” This motivational phrase was common among the 2019-2020 Shadhika college scholarship applications. As 30 inspiring young women are awarded college scholarships for 2019-2020, communities throughout India are feeling the impact that being educated has on a young woman. These scholars have created a ripple effect and are motivated to see change because they were given the chance and opportunity to be something more in life. Not only are they committed to their education, but many scholars have also reported that they have stopped child marriages, enrolled young girls in school, have negotiated and changed opinions about education and have created safe spaces in their communities for girls to be able to move freely.
Scholars talk confidently about the impact that Shadhika has had on their future. One Scholar, Sabina, says, “I observed in my community that girls have dropped out from school in 7th and 10th level and they get married. Many of my school friends have kids now. I am fortunate that I have had a chance to do further education.” Another Scholar, Radah, reflects on the impact she has felt to receive the Shadhika scholarship, “I feel like an independent girl. My parents have also become very proud of me and they now expect me to achieve much more in life. I can prove to my family and community that girls can also become something and we can live independently.”
Many of these Scholars have been a tremendous force in their communities, colleges, and NGO sites. One young woman who resides in Delhi said that because she comes home from college in her nurse uniform, her neighbor, who was going to marry off her niece, decided that it would be more beneficial for her niece to be educated. Her neighbor canceled the marriage and now allows her niece to go to school. This simply occurred because a Shadhika Scholar was looked at as a role model in her community by being educated. Another Scholar, Farhana, is striving to help girls become educated and enrolled in school. She says, “I feel that education is very important for a better quality of life and health. I see a lot of children in my community just doing nothing or already involved in some sort of child labor, as their family and parents also lack education. I see many children suffering from addiction as there is no formal or informal education given to them. If I can work on enrolling more children in school than these issues can be resolved.”
The 2019-2020 Shadhika Scholars are a force to be reckoned with. They are motivated to be the change and are motivated to see the change in their communities. The goal of the scholarship is to educate these young women, but the effects of that education create a ripple that will transform the future of young women in India.
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