Fundamentally, TEEN is a student-led initiative that aims to make higher education more understandable, inclusive and accessible for students from underserved communities in India. Built on the belief that true change starts with listening, the project hopes to understand current student needs and thereby support them in a way that doesn’t just help them reach college but also feel like they truly belong once there.
More specifically, starting with a survey to better understand the challenges students face; the initiative plans to create resources that actually reflect what they need such as a holistic student mentorship program, peer support structures, informational outreach sessions, access to digital resources as well as scholarships that together break down higher education into something less intimidating and more familiar. In this way, by combining research with student-driven action, TEEN seeks to contribute to a future where aptitude rather than advantage determines achievement and the journey to and through college becomes a little smoother for those who are too often left out of the system.