When Shyam Prasad left his home and his parents in the small town of Jainamore at age 11 to advance his studies, he had no idea where his educational road would lead. After completing his class 10 courses, for the next two year she would hopscotch from Bokaro to Gurgaon to Delhi to Hyderabad, crisscrossing India while preparing to go to university.
But the constant travelling didn?t derail him. Maintaining his focus while on the move, he passed his Joint Entrance Examination for Indian Institutes of Technology on the first try and enrolled at IIT Bombay to study electrical engineering.
Now, he?s getting help from leading consumer brand Cargill to continue forward on his academic path.
Prasad is one of 56 university students recently named as Cargill Global Scholars, a program to help promising minds complete their studies while also receiving mentoring from Cargill leaders and participating in other enrichment activities. The scholars hail from Brazil, Russia, India, China and the US.
?It feels great to be called a Cargill Global Scholar. I am quite excited to meet fellow scholars all around the globe, interact with mentors and Cargill employees, and learn from all of them,? said Prasad. ?The scholarship funding is like cherry on the cake.?
Cargill in partnership with Institute of International Education (IIE) launched the Global Scholars Program to build the future of potential leaders, getting new talent ready to take on exciting opportunities and challenges. The program provides financial support, leadership development and enrichment opportunities to nearly 200 talented and high-performing undergraduate students in five countries. The selected individuals are chosen based on their demonstrated high level of academic performance and leadership potential.
In India, 10 scholarships were awarded by leading Science and Technology institutions. The participating Indian institutions in the Cargill Global Scholars program are Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and National Institute of Technology, Trichy.
Cargill has committed approximately $6 million to fund the five-year program, which will eventually reach more than 200 future leaders training to work in a variety of professions.
The first-year scholars will take part in a variety of technical learning and volunteering opportunities in their own countries. Meanwhile, the group selected last year will build on their knowledge for their second year by travelling to Cargill headquarters in Minneapolis at the end of July to participate in a workshop on food safety, a crucial discipline for helping the world maintain a safe, affordable food supply.
In addition to their ongoing mentorship with Cargill leaders, after graduating from their universities, all of the scholars also will join the program?s global alumni network, with future opportunities for further learning and development.
