To recognise aspirational young women, the British Deputy High Commission in partnership with the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and the Women of Worth movement conducted She Leads, a social media campaign. The nationwide campaign culminated in a three-day leadership programme from May 31 to June 2, at the Great Lakes Institute of Management. The top six will participate in a rigorous residential training about leadership and management skills.

  Gopica Dhawan, who is pursuing her Master’s in Social Work at Christ University realised her calling as a social worker when, as a volunteer, she came across a young boy who was afraid to wash his hands as his mother would often scold him for wasting water. “I realised that there was a huge gap between what we are teaching and the reality of their lives,” she said.

Going forward, I hope I am in a position where I can personally change the things that have created gaps in our social order

Gopica Dhawan, MSW Student, Christ University

   The  participants were chosen based on their ability to voice such ideas and present solutions. The programme was designed to identify leaders with a unique vision, explained K Saraswathi, secretary general of the MCCI. And one such visionary, Shreya Kallingal, pursuing her final year in Law and a Bachelor’s in Bharatanatyam, was chosen for her big dreams to reform the education system. “My dream stems from my personal frustration of having to deal with sexism in the administration,” she admitted.
 Jayaprakash, a professor at GLIM explained that the programme was designed to cover topics like emotional intelligence, development economics and the idea of working within teams. “The participants seem to have the ability to grasp complex ideas,” he added. Supporting Jayaprakash’s beliefs, Harshitha Puligadda, a BTech student, believes that her ability to think outside the box has been instrumental in her getting chosen.

I'm learning how to do the right thing to do the right moment. It gives me a great deal of confidence

Olivia Dullapalli, Google AdWords Platform

   The women were also inducted into a vast network of powerful authorities and organisations. Olivia Dullapalli, who was recently employed by the Google AdWords platform, hopes that the networking opportunities will help her to become a civil servant and serve society. Her approach is further supported by Sanjana Rao, a Law student from Christ University, “I have always been passionate about social activism. Hopefully, with more connectivity I can work towards that.” She Leads hopes to educate these women on the challenges of today’s world and inspire them to take action.