Abhishek Patel, 2014-15 NESA UGRAD, Humboldt State University
May 18th, 2015. This was a day when I put my feet on my soil after more than nine months away. I came back to India with a great experience, great confidence, great will power, and optimistic views. I was better than yesterday. Surely, there was a great change in me.
Now, It’s been a more than ten months in India after my NESA UGRAD 2014-15 Program. And, I can proudly say, that I have started to utilize my U.S. experience for my people, for my society, for India. I have founded a non-governmental organization (NGO) named YOU Foundation (YOU – Youth’s Own Union). I am a founding member and president of this organization. (To learn more about it, visit: www.youthsownunion.org). My NGO’s goal is “to motivate and mobilize the youth for community engagement and inculcate moral and social intelligence to blend their personal ambitions with national goals. Give them opportunity to work towards ensuring commitment to a social contract of rights and obligations, build collective mindset about the future with consensus and ability empowerment.” I am also completing the final year of my undergraduate studies in Geography. Even with participating actively in my community, I am also trying to involve myself in sports, without which my life is incomplete (for example, I am travelling for a state Netball tournament within a few days).
Now, I can proudly say, “Today, I am better than yesterday, and my U.S. life took me closer to my dream.” All thanks to GLOBAL UGRAD, the NESA Team, and World Learning. Now, there are many more things to do, so stay tuned!