Keerthi Magi and Dhanraj S. Patil are riding high on success these days. The duo, who once dreamt of pursuing higher education, have bagged full scholarship to study in colleges in the U.S.
While Keerthi will head to Houston Community College, Texas, to pursue a business management course, Dhanraj will join College of DuPage College, Illinois, for a 10-month course on information technology.
All this was possible through Career Connect, an initiative of NGO Dream A Dream. Supported by Dell, the initiative is for students between 14 and 19 years from modest backgrounds. It helps students connect with universities where they want to study and provides them training.
It was four years ago that Keerthi came in contact with the organisation, when its members had visited the government school in Madiwala where he was studying.
His parents struggled to fund the education of their three children. Keerthi told The Hindu that the NGO trained him thoroughly in communication skills, besides selecting him to host the international ‘Change the Script’ conference organised by it.
“I used to work as a part-time construction labourer earlier. I now hope to become a Chartered Accountant,” says Keerthi, who is also a good singer and cricketer.
Eighteen-year-old Dhanraj comes from a single parent household.
After losing his father two years ago, he worked part-time as a salesman. The NGO trained him to use computers and developed his communication skills.
He now hopes to become a software engineer and help students like himself pursue their dream.
