Our Bureau
New York
Aarshi Chaudhary and Shaunya Kumar have won India Philanthropy Alliance’s (IPA) fourth annual Youth Essay Competition in the high school and middle school categories respectively.
IPA, a US-based coalition of 16 nonprofit, philanthropic, and charitable organizations focused on India, announced the results of the competition, one of several initiatives designed to engage youth in philanthropy and inspire creative thought and action to benefit India, in Washington, DC, on August 29.
“The breadth of topics addressed in this year’s competition was really astounding,” says Minoo Gupta, Vice-Chair of the India Philanthropy Alliance and one of the judges of this year’s competition.
“The students explored complex and often overlooked issues such as waste management, mental health, nuclear fusion energy, equity and inclusion, and many more. It was gratifying to see the research and consideration of the students as well as the compassion shown by so many.”
Winners of the competition will present their ideas at a national gathering of philanthropists, nonprofit executives, business leaders, and consultants on September 29 in Palo Alto, California. “I entered the IPA essay competition to share my views on the caste system, an issue I deeply care about,” says Shaunya Kumar, winner in the high school category.
“I was inspired to write my essay on “A Solution to Poverty – India’s Most Pressing Developmental Issue” by the realization that poverty is not just a lack of money, but an impediment to realizing one’s full potential,” says Aarshi Chaudhary, winner in the middle school category.
