Enterprising Bihar-born teen is Global Student Prize 2025 top 10 finalist

London, Sep 3 (PTI) An 18-year-old student from India on Wednesday emerged as a top 10 finalist for the USD 100,000 Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2025 in recognition of his enterprising spirit.

Adarsh Kumar of Jayshree Periwal International School (JPIS) in Jaipur, Rajasthan, was selected from almost 11,000 nominations and applications from 148 countries to become the only Indian student to make the cut for the annual prize, given to an exceptional student who has made a real impact on learning and society at large.

Born in Champaran, Bihar, Adarsh became the first student to win a full-ride scholarship to JPIS, worth Rs 30 lakhs, and now helps replicate that success for others.

“Your work is bold, thoughtful, and deeply needed. You’re not just solving problems; you’re lifting up communities and showing the world what’s possible when passion meets purpose,” said Nathan Schultz, President and CEO of Chegg, Inc.

“At Chegg, we believe students are among the most powerful change agents in the world. This prize is about celebrating that – elevating student voices, spotlighting their ideas, and reminding all of us what can happen when young people lead with vision, courage, and heart,” Schultz said.

Adarsh discovered coding and the start-up ecosystem at an early age through YouTube and Google when his single mother spent her life savings to get him a laptop. He went on to launch his first venture in Grade 8, which failed. But his second, Mission Badlao, helped 1,300 families access welfare schemes: Ayushman Bharat cards, pensions, COVID-19 vaccines, and school enrollment.

Aged 14, Adarsh left home with just Rs 1,000 for Kota in search of IIT-JEE coaching. As he found coaching unaffordable, he used the free library wi-fi to send emails to mentors and eventually was able to join programmes, intern at start-ups and shadow founders.

Skillzo was eventually born as a platform delivering exposure, mentorship and programmes in entrepreneurial skills. It has gone on to impact over 20,000 underserved students, many now on scholarships, launching ventures and winning national competitions.

If he wins the Chegg.Org Global Student Prize, Adarsh intends to build SkillzoX — an AI-powered, low-bandwidth mentorship platform for rural areas, and launch the Ignite Fellowship – a global accelerator for student changemakers.

“Your story is an urgent reminder that education is a powerful catalyst to solve some of the greatest challenges in history – from inequality and climate change to devastating diseases. By investing in learning, technology, and human potential, we can build a future of opportunity, resilience, and compassion,” said Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation, a partner behind the prize launched in 2021.

Also in the running in the top 10 this year is 17-year-old Indian-origin Canadian student Krishiv Thakuria for using artificial intelligence (AI) to transform educational outcomes. If awarded the 2025 prize, Krishiv plans to invest in completing the development of his AI-enabled screen-free Charm Bears and expanding it to multilingual classrooms.

The winner will be chosen by the Global Student Prize Academy, a panel of distinguished educators, innovators, and leaders, and is expected to be announced next month. PTI AK SCY