Meet Suraj, a beneficiary of Share & Care’s Educate 2 Success program.
When Suraj Dhanaji Patil was a young boy, his father passed away — and Suraj’s mother, an uneducated woman, took up domestic work to provide for herself and her two sons. However, her earnings were meager, and Suraj’s older brother was forced to drop out of school after Std. VIII and take up odd jobs to help his mother.
But Suraj, who had always dreamed of making it big one day, was a bright and promising student. He wanted to complete his education.
It was at this time that social workers from Light of Life Trust (a partner NGO for our Educate 2 Success Signature Program), came across Suraj. They immediately enrolled him in Project Anando, a program that provides educational resources and counseling for at-risk kids.
Suraj proved to be an outstanding student and actively participated in all of the program activities throughout secondary school. With support from Share & Care and LOLT — in the form of education materials, supplementary coaching classes, and career guidance — Suraj passed his SSC exam.
He then went on to pursue a diploma in engineering, but the mounting pressure of academics caused him to drop out of the course. This was a challenging phase for Suraj, who became disappointed in himself. His interest in education decreased, as did his self-confidence.
But once again, with intervention from Educate 2 Success, he was able to bounce back — with even greater energy.
To keep Suraj’s spirits high, he was enrolled in a specialized training program, which he completed successfully. After this, Suraj took up a job at a call center and was motivated to pursue his higher education. He passed Std. XII with flying colors, and then went on to earn a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Not holding himself back after this, Suraj then pursued his post-graduate education and received a Master of Commerce degree. At this time, he also joined LOLT as an English teacher.
Today, Suraj works as an executive officer with Axis Bank, Khopoli Branch. Despite the ups and downs in his path to success, Suraj was finally able to achieve his goals and establish a career in the field of his choice.
He is now able to support his family financially as well as emotionally, and has become a shining example for many other students in the Educate 2 Success program.
