Shriya Shankar

In her first year as a computer science engineering undergraduate, Shriya started 'Project Sitara', an initiative to make education accessible to high-school children in Karnataka. They began working with 25 girls across the state. Once the pandemic arrived, though, they started an 'accessible education series' that leveraged YouTube and WhatsApp to deliver local-language education and a support system for tenth-graders. Shriya aspires to build Sitara Akka, a two-part blended model that spans informational and emotional support to help children realize anytime-anywhere learning.