Bio: Parul Yadav (19) is a 2nd year undergraduate student at Gargi College, Delhi University (India). She values the importance of education and exploring her potential via assisting the needs of people. Parul share's the passion of engagement in her community and helping to bring diversity together from emphasizing to empowering women to create a better intersection of the world around us to bring the sense of personal identities among women. She molds her creativity and learning to revolutionize her thoughts. Her days of introspection, the significant and prestigious progression in her ways of thinking is exactly which built her leadership, and her service of awakening women for global representation. A collective change maker, she believes in empowering her work while connecting to a real change. Fundamental to her work at various student run non profit organizations and board groups, she leads her learning experience with an exclusive group of women entrepreneurs of PR, Digital Marketing groups, and writing agencies.
Interview by Daania Sharifi
Start off by introducing yourself to the readers?
I am a 19 year old undergraduate student at Gargi College, Delhi University (India) pursuing English Literature. In addition to my bachelor's, I am also pursuing a minor in Philosophy both of which I will be finishing up in the next academic year. My hobbies include advocating, designing and dancing! As a young believer and feminist, I help women in my community build, monitor their own selves. Generally speaking, I take pride in being engaged, embrace change and advocate strongly for women to enforce that they represent balance, transformation and form a better intersectional world around us. I am currently leading the chapter of Women Everywhere Believe in India. I am also the founder of PUKAR Global - a GEN Z stop for social entrepreneurship! I am passionate about women empowerment, art and advocacy and also fostering intercultural relations and bringing more diversity into workplaces of India!
What is PUKAR Global? How did you come up with the idea? What is the inspiration? What is the goal?
PUKAR Global is a non profit organization that fosters social entrepreneurship in GEN Z student community. Since, Gen Z is inheriting some of the greatest challenges that our world has faced, but we can rest assured that they’re going to be more prepared than previous generations.
Thus, PUKAR Global connects the entrepreneurial spirits of young population aged between 16-20. India is a country with a disproportionately large young population which naturally presents both advantages and disadvantages. These issues are predicted to widen the existing gap for underprivileged community, especially in developing countries. PUKAR Global wants to be able help these students continue find meaningful passions and a goals through providing opportunities and constant mentorship! We are currently a team of 15+ college students trying to bring about a change on a community level and soon would be growing globally.
Where do you hope to see PUKAR grow in 5 years? What is the big goal?
We want PUKAR Global to be able to foster and promote diversity among students, who want to contribute to the lives of young underprivileged population through mentorship in India. In addition to we would strive to provide those hard working students resources for their own career goals. We envision partnering with educational institutions and companies throughout the country to provide the resources necessary to develop tomorrow's social entrepreneurs leaders while also working to combat the barriers that often stifle their leadership growth in school and the workplace.
What skills have you learned through creating this organization? What new skills and old skills were most valuable? Why?
While building up PUKAR global. As a leader, I started valuing the diversity of thought and have also learned to broaden my own perspectives in everything I do.I also believe that over time, virtue is its own reward. People recognize how you are investing in them, and they reciprocate. Looking at the above leadership qualities I am proud of, I also know that whatever decision I make as a leader will ultimately upset some (hopefully a minority). This is always difficult! You cannot please everyone, but decisions MUST be made in order for people to progress. And in the wise lyrics for Rush, “those who choose not to decide still have made a choice!” Hence, I have learned to explore the differences from a place of understanding and now embrace other cultures.
Incredible! What about Women Everywhere Believe? What is it? How did you come about being a part of it?
Women Everywhere Believe India is currently under the flagship of We Believe Inc. A leadership pipeline working towards providing leadership opportunities to women of color and training the next generation of women leaders. I came across the same via social media and got a chance to participate in their interview procedure to lead the chapter internationally. Currently the executive board of We Believe India consists of 7 highly dedicated and passionate women from all around India. We also have our really motivated community members who are virtually working on behalf We Believe to break stereotypes and actively be a part of our upcoming campaigns. For me, like many aspiring young leaders the passion to better my community started when I heard and scummed to countless arguments discouraging cautionary the young women tales.
Who is your biggest inspiration? What inspires you? If you could ask them one question what would you ask?
My biggest inspiration is my mother. My teen years were those definitive times where I usually felt really overwhelmed and intimidated, the not so clear roadmap to fulfillment or the key to success like getting good grades, getting into the right college, etc sometimes took a toll on my mental health. My mother has been my real big support. She always said "In the real world there are no more stepping stones laid out carefully for you" , there is a lot of uncertainty but still I had figured out many ways to make myself feel accomplished and feel confident about that. By leaning and perpetuating into the feminist incline whilst I start advocating for empowering myself and girls with confidence and committed to education, gender equality and interacting the strengths of diverse women had made my purposes more clear"
Love that! What advice do you have for teens wanting to start their own organization?
Thank you! I would say that plan to use your passions and love to develop an activity by unleashing individual and collective capacities of young individuals that are unique and positively conscious. Reach out to your idols, take inspirations and start building your organization on that. Start focusing your definitive interests and development, be more resilient. Think and start acting! Things will automatically fall in place :)
Thanks! Next question, what advice do you have in general for teens about life, school, friends, and balancing everything?
I love variety, and that means I generally detest routine's. There are few routines and practices that have stood the test of time for me, but after some years of refining this morning routine, I believe it is among the most critical! Thus, finding your own self and your own routine is definitely YOUR own way! Secondly, In the chase of life and advancing and in being young and making mistakes, in being fearless and ignoring oneself, it is getting easy to get lost in goals and in lists but it is not okay to ignore self care which I believe no one should. Hold onto your friends and school life as these are your definitive times of exploring life and making memories. Try to bring about a to-do-list in your daily lives and focus on taking breaks as well :)