HCL Foundation awards education scholarships worth Rs. 15 Lakh

New Delhi: HCL Foundation, the CSR wing of HCL Technologies, awarded scholarships to 25 talented scholars in NCR this Saturday at the My Scholar Kick Off Meet organized at the HCL Campus in Sector 126. A total of Rs.15 lakh was awarded as scholarship amount. The event was attended by representative from HCL Foundation, parents and family members of the scholars and the 25 HCL employees who have taken up the challenging task of mentoring these scholars to achieve their dreams.
Mr. Raj Vikram Singh, SDM, HCL Infra was the Special Guest for the event and handed out the scholarship cheques to the scholars.
HCL Foundation’s My Scholar Program under the Power of One initiative is an inclusive step towards ensuring sustainable career development for students from weaker economic backgrounds. At present, the program reaches out to 77 such young and talented scholars pan India who have been shortlisted after a rigorous screening process. These children are currently enrolled in class 10 or above and are all high achievers in their respective fields of study. While some aspire to become future engineers, doctors, chefs and entrepreneurs, some wish to serve the nation by becoming academicians, air force pilots and administrators.
“The financial component of the scholarship is completely supported by HCL Foundation through the Power of One contribution under which almost 40,000 employees of HCL contribute Re. 1 daily from their payroll towards social causes. Besides the financial support, the scholarship also has a mentoring component under which every scholar has been matched with an HCL employee who will mentor these scholars.” added Simi Suri, Lead Operations, HCL Foundation India. The scholars and mentors have been matched on the basis of their skills sets and areas of interest. The mentors will be a support system to the scholars and provide guidance, motivation and emotional support.
“Holding the scholarship cheque feels surreal. I am waiting to go and tell all my friends about this achievement. I also got to meet the ‘bhaiya’ who will be my mentor. He is very nice and friendly. I feel motivated to study hard and get the scholarship again next year” said Ankit, a scholarship recipient.
At the event, a session was also organized for the parents and family members of these scholars where they were oriented about the scholarship and mentoring program. The parents also got an opportunity to interact with the HCL Foundation team and clarify their doubts and concerns about the program.
“I am very happy that my child has received this scholarship. I am a single mother and I work very hard to support my daughter’s education. She wants to become a banker and I don’t have the knowledge and resources to guide her. I am very grateful to HCL for the scholarship and the mentoring support that they will provide her. I am sure she will work hard and achieve her dreams” said Lata Saini, a scholar’s mother. Another parent added, “I thank all the HCL employees who have contributed towards this scholarship and I am happy that they will also help my child in setting goals and getting details about different academic programs that would help him become a successful engineer
The mentoring process will be guided by HCL Foundation in collaboration with Sattva who will provide career guidance support and conduct intense life skill sessions for the scholars. Regular mentorship workshops will also be organized for the employees who will mentor these scholars.
Next year, the My Scholar Program will reach out to 150 scholars through HCL scholarships and connect another 200 scholars with Government Scholarships.