A 10 week long fellowship program held in August this year saw students from Kellogg Center for Research in Technology & Innovation come together with the IMT Ghaziabad students. Together, they worked on Social Entrepreneurship related issues in Rural India. 

Though several such programs are held each year, this one is quite unique owing to the kind of exposure given to the students from both the institutes.

Six second-year IMT Ghaziabad MBA students and six second-year MBA students from Kellogg Center for Research in Technology & Innovation were selected for this program. These students were then divided into six different teams. Each team comprised of two student members – one each from IMT and Kellogg.

Seva Yatra facilitated this collaboration. A social venture that brings together various organizations and Universities from United States, NGOs and other bodies from India, Seva Yatra organizes different service projects.

In a momentous move, IMT Ghaziabad and Kellogg came together in an association of like-minded students belonging to different cultural backgrounds. The management at Kellogg hoped it would be a great learning experience for their students. They were not disappointed.

The program included seminars with leaders from the technology and development departments. All teams of students were given internships at NGOs, which translated into a learning experience for each of the students. It showed them the practical use of technology as they developed skills to appropriately enhance the educational and employment prospects in rural India. They also learnt the skills to improve governance and healthcare issues in India.

Quite an eye-opener, the experience gave the teams a first-hand insight into rural India. Many of them were earlier unaware of the difficulties faced by people living in these areas. And they could make a difference because they had the knowledge and experience to initiate reforms that would eventually make rural India a better place to live. As Bryan Lee, a CRTI student puts it, “My project has been great. I’m working on a financial inclusion research project, and I truly feel that the work I am doing has the potential to have a positive social impact.”

He is not only satisfied with the project he undertook but also appreciates his association with the IMT Ghaziabad students. He says, “Culturally, it has been a lot of fun. We have taken every opportunity to explore India and try new things. Being here with my classmates has been a good learning experience. We share our challenges at the workplace and outside of it, and together learn much more than we could have on our own.”

 
Source: lifeatimt.com