KL Student Visits the United States as an Indian Ambassador in the International Youth Exchange Program
21-years old Rishitha Jaladi, a student in the MBA program at KL Deemed to be University, embarked on educational upliftment of deprived sections of society that took her to the USA. She has been selected for the Study of United States Institutes (SUSI), 2021.
The program is hosted by the University of Washington, Seattle, and will be held from November 1- November 15, 2022. Around 40-50 countries participated in this program.
SUSI is a fully funded exchange program by the US Government in collaboration with the non-profit organization Meridian International Center in the USA. It is promoted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, whose mission is to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. SUSI aims to provide young aspiring international students with a substantive foundation, exposure, and understanding of the United States through short-term study.
Rishitha is presently pursuing a third-semester MBA (2021-23) at KL Business School, Vijayawada. Apart from education, she is working as a social worker and educating people on gender equality, women empowerment, drug addiction, control, and AIDS. Her father works as a LIC agent, and her mother is a homemaker.
By showcasing the University's commitment to the success of its students, she said, "I started doing community action plans only after coming to KL Deemed to be University, and the faculty had helped her in planning all the sessions and in conducting community action plans and projects. I also conducted a few virtual sessions for students abroad, and the faculty helped me to organize them."
Overseeing the holistic experience at KL Deemed to be University, she felt that the University provides equal opportunities and aids students in attaining their career goals. She hopes that she will be able to build better cultural understanding and learn from the international best practices to make progress towards achieving an education revolution in the country.
As a student leader, her study is on "The Education and the future of work" topic that focuses on building communication and leadership skills in a global environment. The embassy extended support of Rs 10,000-50,000 USD on the project proposal and selection.
The SUSI exchange program is a 45-day program for undergraduates. Around 5 lakh people applied for this program, and I was selected for this program in 2021 after a series of selection rounds that include- SOP submission, telephonic interviews, presentations, and personal interviews. My academic excellence and community service were my plus points. Because of the pandemic, this program is conducted in a hybrid format which included a virtual component from June 21- July 30, 2021, where I got the opportunity to connect with students from different countries. In November 2022, there is an in-person component, where everything is funded by the USA government, including flight tickets, hotel stay, food, etc., said the joyous Rishitha.
After the virtual sessions with the South Seattle College and the University of Washington, she worked on a community action project(CAP), "Value-ED" in her community as part of the exchange program. The project aims to create awareness about the importance of value education and skill development in local schools at the most basic level. She has selected 30 students from a govt school in her locality, conducted career development programs like personality development and communication skills, and focused on education filled with value. She received a stipend of Rs. 1, 50,000 from the US govt for the entire program. Last year, she spoke in the Indian Parliament, where she happened to receive the appreciation of PM Narendra Modi. She feels that it was one of the proudest moments in her life.
In the USA, she will participate in lectures, conferences, collaborative discussions, small group discussions, site visits, corporate visits, and informal cultural activities with Americans. She will meet educators, visit educational institutions, and study the educational system in the USA. She will analyze the best practices, try to implement them in our community, and explain the best practices we follow in India concerning education. After finishing the in-person capstone program (USA visit), they would participate in community activities and try their best to empower people toward education.
