Category: Student Spotlight

While charting the journey through University (and life), we meet fellow travellers along the way, through laughter and tears, amid wisdom and comic remedies, amongst rough patches and blissful reinforcements, we coin them ‘friends for life’. This August, we at Krea are celebrating the power of friendship, of shared sentiments that bring people together while rejoicing in their uniqueness.

Khadeejah Khandker from the SIAS Cohort of 2024 recounts a memory among hundreds that define the word ‘friendship’ for her. First in a series of a month of celebration, as Kreators co-create this space together, and definite friendship, their way.

I woke up early, resolute to try something new. Still feeling heavy headed from last night’s incident, I started to dress up, thinking donning on pretty clothes might help me cheer up a little. 

Last night, still fresh in my mind, I was in disbelief of what I had heard over the phone. “They must still be sleeping. I would have called them by now for breakfast” I thought to myself but, strong willed as I was, I decided to give them their space. After all, they had called me “Annoying & Weird”. 

My friends were indeed asleep, however, it was not that they were tired or cozy, it seemed they were trying to escape reality through sleeping. Yesterday’s night still flashing before their eyes perhaps more clearly than it did for me. 

Another one of my closest friends, my roommate, had told them the previous night that she would do something about it, that she would explain to me that they had mis-dialed the phone and I wasn’t supposed to hear what I heard and it was all one huge misunderstanding. 

The next day both of them in the hopes of finding me in a class or alley searched the entire campus but I guess I know how to sneak away. Later I learnt that none of them ate that day and barely even smiled, that they were just feeling awful, just like I was. 

As fate would have it, this day was important to all of us four. It was the day we were supposed to go to a pottery event together. I finally broke my silence and asked them to come to the venue.  They rushed over and after a long silent standoff during the event. I started slowly giving up on my resolution; it was hard not talking to my best friends. 

I could see that they honestly felt bad and that I wasn’t even giving them a chance to explain themselves. Finally, I held out my pinky finger to one of them, and though I was still very angry, I knew we four would always hold hands. His face finally lit up with joy after what felt like an eternity. He knew I was still not convinced, but that I too had broken out into a faint smile. 

After a while, we gathered in the dining hall, and after a short quarrel we four again went back to being what we were “friends”. Laughter was again heard from our table, the constant chatter began, the waves of conversation and discussion continued till the whistles started, sending them to their rooms, to get ready for the freshers’ party. 

So, what does friendship mean to you? We invite you to send us any of the following:

– A picture of you and your friends that means a lot to you

– A video that has a collage of your favourite moments with your friends

– Your favourite video memory of your friends

– Short write-up or a poem expressing what friendship means to you

Or even something different and unique – your own way of defining friendship.

If you want to feature your friendships within Krea Bonds, You can respond with your entries to Anisha Vijayan:

[email protected]

Do not forget to include a title and a short description of your entry.

Akshaya Shankar is on a quest, of leaving a mark in the world of marketing and setting her best foot forward on a path that could well be trail blazing. Her dreams are ambitious and fearless, one of the top goals being attaining leadership roles and becoming a CEO of a large, global organisation. For this young Krea graduate, even the sky is no limit.

The Opportunity

Akshaya joins as Management Trainee with Vayana Network, India’s largest network for trade financing. She is also one among the three at Krea who at the time of writing this article had been offered the highest compensation package for the year.

 “I received the flyer for the opportunity through the Career Services Office (CSO) at Krea and the entire process was smooth and fast. We had two rounds, the second being with the CEO of the organisation. The podcasts I worked on at Krea, the writing samples and the articles I had written, all of them came in handy in showcasing my portfolio that eventually landed me the offer.”

At Vayana, Akshaya will be involved with various initiatives that revolve around marketing, strategy and content. Vayana Network aims to accelerate the GDP growth of supply chains by unlocking affordable and easily accessible trade credit for every member of the supply chain.

Mission Marketing

When asked about a goal that Akshaya wishes to achieve down the road, she responds, “At the moment it probably seems far-fetched but I hope to be the CEO of a stellar agency, I want to leave a mark in the marketing industry and do it as early as I can.”

While Marketing has been Akshaya’s core interest, the intent of choosing Psychology as a Major was out of sheer interest and so was choosing Literature as a Minor, all these choices today have aligned to lead her the road ahead. Akshaya believes all the subjects have equipped her with creative and analytical thinking and not just that, they have also trained her to combine each of the skills obtained at ease with technology, extremely critical for the world of today.

The Interwoven Adventure that’s Krea

“The Krea journey has been extremely helpful. The faculty at Krea are world class and their constant feedback and encouragement has been significant contributors to where I stand today.”

Akshaya emphasies on how each time a paper is turned, or a reading is prescribed or research methodologies are instructed, each step helps hone skills and improve. Every day gradually building in an exercise in evolving and advancing.

“I hadn’t given much thought to the term Interwoven Learning and even though I experienced it through the days at Krea it’s when I was having the first conversation at Vayana and I spoke about Interwoven Learning at length that I realised how important it really was for the 21^st century. The team at Vayana were amazed at how a student with Majors in Psychology knew History, Philosophy, Data Analysis and Literature too, some of them which conventionally had no relation to my subject.”

Akshaya believes that the skills she picked up at Krea are essential for the corporate pathway. “I know how I stepped into Krea and how I am leaving, the evolution. Just the amount of knowledge I have gained is unparalleled. Beyond the classroom setting too the faculty at Krea have guided and enabled me to make career decisions, they are approachable and supportive in so many ways.”

The Evolution

“I am so much more comfortable in my own skin and more confident. I don’t need to pretend to be anyone, I know that I can speak out, speak what’s going on in my mind,  present confidently and not be stressed, take questions and not hesitate or be awkward while receiving feedback.”

Akshaya says that carrying out so much of reading, writing and all the creative assignments is something she wasn’t prepared for but has empowered her with different skill sets.

“Many skills we pick up are not just from classrooms but from outside, from our peers who are doing Majors distinct from our own.” Not just those, from editing someone’s paper, giving them feedback, working from leadership positions in clubs and committees and playing a role in building Krea from scratch as the founding cohort has definitely added few lessons to the kitty.

“I was the club representative for the Recreation Club and was actively involved with the Outreach and Admissions team too. Three of my closest friends and I brought ‘Her Campus’ to Krea, reporting to a team at Boston and managing our team in India; these experiences were all different, unique and yet pivotal.”

Akshaya affirms that all of these experiences in one way or the other have finally fallen into place like fitting into a jigsaw, and have culminated into the career pathway she is set to explore.

Of memories and moments

“There are so many incidents, each different from the other but one that I really hold close to my heart is an activity in the Creative Expression course, where we spray painted a wall. And not to forget, the perimeter walks with my friends as we sat to have Maggi during the day, and watched the sun fade away at dusk.”

Though the sunset may be one of her favourite memories from campus, Akshaya is ready to seize the day and carve her niche in the chosen career path. Mission Marketing calling.

“Krea has given me the confidence and courage to face the world, to make the change I want to see.”

Pooja Basutkar is a believer of dreams, of spreading out wings and soaring high. An aspiring entrepreneur and an author in the making, Pooja enjoys penning down pieces of poetry and verse, and looks forward to publishing a manuscript of her own in the future. 

This School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) graduate is now gearing up for her professional journey as she joins Karkinos Healthcare as an Associate – Business Development. When we reached out to Pooja to have a conversation on this new chapter of her life, Pooja was bubbling with enthusiasm and therein unravelled Pooja’s journey at Krea, a journey interwoven with experiences, revelations and achievements.

The Road Ahead

“I am extremely excited,” says Pooja who is raring to go and is exhilarated at the path she has chosen for career progression. Being a start-up and a pioneer in the field, Pooja is confident of the experience she is set to receive at Karkinos.  Karkinos Healthcare is a purpose- driven technology-led oncology platform focused on designing and delivering bespoke solutions for cancer care. Led by a blend of globally acclaimed medical professionals and technologists, Karkinos aims to create ‘cancer centers without walls’ with a primary aim of addressing the accessibility or affordability gaps in cancer care.

“I will be part of the planning and outreach team, involved in advertisements, partnerships with various collaborators, supporting in building a plan and implementing them. We are also working on taking Karkinos to the global platform.”

The Opportunity

“The process was very smooth and was facilitated by the Career Services Office (CSO) at Krea. I was really scared and nervous but realised later on, there was no need to.”

Pooja adds that Karkinos was well aware of Krea’s pedagogy and Interwoven Learning methodology. Following an an in-depth assignment and two rounds of interviews, Pooja was offered the opportunity at Karkinos Healthcare“Each subject I explored at Krea aligns with the career I have chosen, from report writing to behavioural economics. Psychology has trained me to interact with diverse stakeholders and I look forward to translating these learnings at Karkinos Healthcare,” Pooja says.

Activities which didn’t seem significant at that point now take the form of building blocks. Pooja adds that in retrospect, being a writer and director for Nukkad Natak, performing in plays, reciting poetry on stage, each of them helped her translate her confidence into interviews and assignments.

In Pursuit of a Dream

“My end goal is to do something significant in the mental health and medical system landscape of India. I want to start an initiative that focuses on introducing mental health support facilities to the underprivileged in schools.”

The pandemic showed us how broken the healthcare system in India, especially the awareness around mental health. Pooja firmly believes her experience with a startup such as Karkinos Healthcare will provide her insights into how start-ups work and how a vision is built from scratch.

Of Moments and Memories

“ There is so much from Krea which I will keep close to my heart, but a memory does stand out. For a literature class I had written a short story during the 2^nd year. The next year when the next cohort was doing the course, our faculty who I admire so much remembered my story and showcased it as a reference to them, emphasising on the storyline and other aspects. When my juniors approached me in the dining hall to discuss the story, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a proud moment to be appreciated by a mentor who I look up to and who motivates me to write. This was very special.”

We look forward to Pooja’s journey as she pursues her dreams and strengthens her vision, and very soon we hope to pick a book off the shelves that’s authored by Pooja Basutkar.

Vani Jain is a student at SIAS, Krea University, the Cohort of 2024. A young entrepreneur with passion for economics and business studies, Vani launched her own product called the Mystery Crate. With a goal to provide an engaging and entertaining digital detox to children, the design of the Mystery Crate also supports the development of cognitive, creative and problem solving skills. 

We asked Vani to take us through her entrepreneurial journey, from the genesis of her business idea, through both her ups and downs, to the most important lessons learnt. We found her propensity to create something new, entrepreneurial mindset, and a charming combination of hard work and optimism, truly inspiring. 

Vani, what motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

I always had the urge to do something on my own, instead of working for someone else. Besides, I was always fascinated by entrepreneurs around me. 

What is Mystery Crate, and how was the idea conceived?

Mystery Crate is a subscription product for 2–9 years old, where children receive a box every month with different activities. I saw my brother spending excessive amount of time online, and I was worried about its side effects on his health. So, I thought of taking away my mother’s worries by helping her and parents like her through creating a business module for children of this age category.  

Who has supported you most in your entrepreneurial journey?

I joined the Young Entrepreneurship Academy, where I was assigned two mentors who taught me various components of a business and helped me formulate my business idea and execute it. 

Was there a particular moment of success that boosted your confidence in your venture?

Once I started my business, it took me a while to get my first order, and I started to loose my confidence. But when I got my first order, I felt like the happiest person on Earth. This boosted my confidence tremendously. Secondly, winning the 2^nd position at the Investor’s Panel was an unbelievable experience for me — I believed in my business, and so did the investors. This strengthened my trust in my venture. 

What would you say to other young people who have a drive to start their own venture but do not know how?

You should choose a business that you are passionate about, so that even if you are tired and exhausted, you would still want to work on it at the end of the day. The excitement and joy that the business of your choice will bring to you are unparalleled. There is no restrain as to when you can start a business — if you want to be an entrepreneur, you should work on it every day and spend some time building your thoughts. You can begin by reading a few books or watching motivational videos. Just believe in yourself and your idea. It may take time to build it up, but if you are confident enough, then it will happen sooner or later. 

To connect with this young entrepreneur and to learn more about her product, the Mystery Crate, you can visit her Instagram page. 

Amartya Sinha hopes to remedy the complex challenges within the world of today that rally around digital wellbeing and data privacy. He aims to design policies, create awareness and encourage dialogue in relevance, a vision that has led him to the Master of Public Policy Programme at Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago.

When the acceptance offer came knocking

Amartya received the acceptance call from the School in April and for the first few minutes he couldn’t believe the news. “The feeling, in a single word, was ‘exhilarating’. I had finally gotten accepted to the top school of my choice and I didn’t need to worry. Once it sunk in, I started working on scholarships and other funding choices for the programme.”

Amartya had applied only to the colleges that ranked high in his list of choice and while he doesn’t recommend others to do the same, his efforts and judgment have paid him well. 

When asked on what he would suggest to future aspirants of higher studies, Amartya adds, “Start off by identifying what you exactly want to do. Figure out that career path, the right job and then retrace, and pick the right course as a means to that path. It’s okay to be confused and work towards clarity. I myself didn’t have much of a clue until the presentation that started it all.”

The session that started it all

“It all started with the presentation from Harris School of Public Policy, organised by the Career Service Office (CSO) at Krea in September.” Amartya believes that the session offered clarity and opened up his mind to the various options available that he could pursue. Amartya had applied and was accepted to multiple top universities and chose Harris School of Public Policy.

The vision for the future

Amartya aims to increase awareness about data privacy and design policies which are effective for digital wellbeing. He emphasises on how following his foray into the field and with the learnings gathered, he is much more conscious of his presence online and is careful about data sharing. While they may seem innocuous, our digital footprint can often lead to compromise of personal information. “We should be in control of our digital presence and wellbeing –  not the other way around.”

The Krea Journey

“Krea has been instrumental for my development and growth. I joined Krea because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and had an open mind to pick and choose everything.” Amartya’s path through Krea has been truly exploratory, meandering through various streams of study before zeroing in on what he really wished to focus on. He also believes that if he hadn’t been given this large choice of subjects and rare combinations to choose from, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

“The process to choose the Major and Minor was very interesting. I explored everything, and even tried Literature though I quit after four classes. I then took up Economics as Major which was my default choice, and Social Studies as Minor; but later realised that I would like to do more on the Social Studies side with Economics as a Minor, along with a concentration in Politics.” 

Amartya tried and tested multiple choices before landing on the one he really wished to pursue, very true to the ethos that Krea academics is rooted in.

Assignments that steered the vision

The internships and assignments at Krea also helped Amartya foresee what his future goals would be. In the second year, Amartya worked as a Data Analyst for Prof John Mathew, with Kaustav Mehta and Ananya Raju on a research project focusing on impacts of SARS-CoV-2 in India using Spark NLP to make language detection pipelines for big data. “I hadn’t done any CS courses but I did programming for the project and it made me aware of the scope and reach of technology.”

Amartya has handled various initiatives over time that firmly hit home the fact that Krea is diverse, inclusive and the experience; holistic. He was the Tech Support for the Online KICs (Krea Immersion Case) and a Conversation Partner who helped freshers build proficiency in the English language. He also worked with the Admissions Team and prepared guides for the Tech Literacy Bridge Program aimed at helping students transition to basic online learning and tools.

“I believe Krea teaches you that you don’t necessarily need to have the skills to come in, you need to have the passion and then you take the path onwards.”

Amartya was also part of the Constituent Assembly, and was an Indoor Sports Representative for the Sports Committee. He also helped host three tournaments in Table Tennis, Foosball and Chess in the first year before the world evolved in response to COVID-19. He has also imparted Table Tennis lessons to fellow peers.

Faculty like friends

“The faculty at Krea form a fundamental part of the Krea experience. Professors are more like friends; you can just walk into their office and have a dialogue.” Amartya firmly believes that the bond shared between faculty and students at Krea is respectful and more of equity than coming from a place of authority. Amartya also shares gratitude towards a number of faculty members who helped him through the learning journey, including the clarity on the choice of Major and Minor, various assignments and internships and overall, in just being great mentors.

The Nostalgia Moment

Amartya has had various memorable moments interspersing his Krea journey but one of the most memorable highlights is his joining the choir in the first year.  “I always wanted to sing but knowing that I am not a good singer, this was my free ticket to saying I am one.”  Amartya was a bass singer and thanked Prof John for insisting that he join the choir. He has both performed and directed for the choir. 

How did Krea happen?

Amartya hails from Nalanda but has spent most of his life in Navi Mumbai. He believes he was a confused young man ( and still is) albeit powered with curiosity.  “If an idea pops up in my mind, I latch on to it and figure it out and this has led me to do various things like programming, video audio editing, photography, mountain biking and so on.”

Amartya found Krea in the year of the University’s inception and the KIC along with the holistic admissions process won him over to make the choice to choose Krea over other Liberal Education Schools and that’s where it all started.

Aishwarya Sivaramakrishnan, SIAS cohort of 2022 has secured an early action round acceptance to pursue a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from the Harris School of Public Policy in the University of Chicago, along with a Harris Merit scholarship. Driven by her passion for education, social impact and effective policy making, Aishwarya intends on putting policy into practice and working with the government or NGOs in the field of education.

Aishwarya reflects on her journey through Krea and the vision she holds for the future.

The Call to the Future

“The call was a shock in itself; it was unexpected and exhilarating.” The acceptance news took Aishwarya by surprise, it was like a bolt out of the blue but definitely one that held immense joy.

“The MPP programme at Harris School of Public Policy has always been my top choice due to the heavy focus on data analysis and the multidisciplinary approach towards tackling real-world issues, similar to my undergraduate experience at Krea University.”

Aishwarya has also secured a Harris Merit scholarship and believes her summer internship experiences and externships at Teach for India, Centre for Policy Research, Rhapsody Music, and Aureolis Ventures have helped her expand interests and skills and laid down the path for where she is today.

The Vision, Passion and Determination

In the past three years, Aishwarya has had the opportunity to volunteer and pursue her internship with various policy advocacy groups that lobby for grassroots-level change in state-sponsored educational institutions.

“Since then, education policy and child rights have become my passion project, and I have worked extensively in the education space in India. This has given me an insight into the ground realities of primary education facilities, opening my eyes to the pressing need for changes in both curricula and infrastructure available to school-going children, especially in semi-urban and rural areas. Some of my most cherished, valuable experiences and life lessons are from this period of working with children and individuals from all walks of life, and they have shaped the person I am today.”

On completion of her studies, Aishwarya intends on putting policy into practice and working with the government or NGOs in the field of education.

The Krea Journey

Aishwarya fondly remembers her journey at Krea with a memory from day one, something that continues to stick with her even today.

“It was the first day and I was in my room and so was my roommate and so were our families, the entire area was abuzz with hellos and greetings, people were coming in and stepping out and it all felt comforting and familiar. It just felt right and Krea truly felt like home. It remains one of my most heartening experiences till date.”

Aishwarya has always been passionate about education, teaching and training, thanks to her mother who is a teacher. Though she also remarks that before stepping into Krea, she wasn’t so sure on her path forward and there was a huge possibility that she would have headed into the family run business.

Aishwarya ran for the position of Finance and Resources Representative in the first year at Krea and was part of the first student government. It being the very first year of Krea University also helped her play an instrumental role in building the student government and pushed her to try new things, meet new people, and make the most of her newfound independence.

When asked for a piece of advice to other Masters’ aspirants, Aishwarya adds, “I applied to the Harris School of Public Policy in October close to the deadline. And though I didn’t really plan much and got admitted to the very first school I applied; planning does help. There are times when we may not feel too confident and second guess our choices, but the key is to believe in oneself.” Aishwarya does believe firmly in taking chances.

An Economics major, while she believes that she was passionate about her vision, Krea opened up her mind and the various experiences helped her pave the way forward. The Interwoven Learning aspect helped her figure out her other interests, and how she could pair them best with Economics.

When it all clicked Her passion for impactful education was turned into a more determined drive in the first year and the internship, especially the one with Teach of India, was significant in the process. Over her UG years, Aishwarya has done various internships and online training stints which only helped her passion evolve further.

It was in the 2^nd year and through a session hosted by the Career Services Office(CSO) for Harris School of Public Policy that helped Aishwarya zero in on her dream institution.

Interestingly, Harris School of Public Policy was her first and only college application and it all fell into place. “I applied during the Early Action round and this was helpful since I was able to get an early decision and plan ahead when it came to academics at Krea and moving to Chicago.”

While the undergraduate experience at SIAS, Krea University and the upcoming Masters at Harris School of Public Policy are pivotal milestones, they are only steps into the impactful journey that this young changemaker has embarked on.