Indians 4 Social Change

Over 2015 and a bit of 2016, I had the honor of being a writing intern for Indians 4 Social Change, an online platform that aims to "spur change in the world through global community building and journalism". I learnt about Indians 4 Social Change in 2014, as a young 10th grader. Intrigued, I immediately aspired to write for the organization. However, I lacked confidence... after all, why would people be willing to read my words, and take into account my opinion? I remember having a list of my favorite articles, which included 'Freedom From Darkness: A Village in Bihar Powers Itself with Solar Energy' and 'Get Ready for the Rice Bucket Challenge'. I was inspired by the power of journalism, but intimidated by I4SC's vast audience.

However, my initial doubts did not cool my ardor. I started drafting and writing articles in 10th grade, specifically written for Indians 4 Social Change. I dreamed of having them published on this online platform. And sure enough, the articles I wrote in 10th grade were eventually published on my I4SC profile (such as 'Education Within Grasp, Jobs out of Reach?', 'Enmeshed in Shackles: Farmer Suicide', 'Democracy in Education', and 'A Cavernous Gap: College Education in Karnataka', among others)! Perhaps it was the drafts and articles I had written as a sophomore that helped me manage the internship and IB coursework, in the latter half of 2015. (Of course, I had to update/edit these young articles with recent news, information, and quotes once I realized that they were going to be published months after I had written them.) However, despite the portfolio of articles specifically written for I4SC preserved in my notebooks and laptop, I wasn't sure if my articles were good enough to be published.

But a few months later, I cast my misgivings aside. I applied for and clinched the internship over the summer after 10th grade, and my articles were published on I4SC when I started my junior year! Over the next six months, my articles were published; they spanned a vast range of topics, and some were even the source of an intellectual and engaging discussion.

My journey with I4SC was an incredible one... which spanned unofficially over 10th grade and officially over 11th grade and taught me so much about myself and my abilities as a writer. It was one I'll never forget.