Microblogs
understem's journey is now a part of yours, too :)
It's Official: Reach Villages is here :)
We've officially extended the understem concept beyond students and alumni; Reach Villages now aims to connect Indian villagers with the international diaspora!
This week I pitched the Reach Villages idea to Chandra Babu Naidu, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, India. We're a go! Sir has done a lot in the field of connecting villagers with NRIs, and this is an incredible new step in the journey for us both :)
By Haasini Paparaju | August 15, 2023
Telugu Actor-Politician Nandamuri Balakrishna inaugurates understem Inc.
Famed Telugu actor, producer, and politician Nandamuri Balakrishna has appeared in more than 100 Telugu films over 40 years in a variety of roles and established himself as one of the leading actors in the industry.
Now the South Indian International Movie Award and three-time Nandi Award winner has officially inaugurated understem Inc.
By Haasini Paparaju | July 20, 2023
Presentations, Pitches, Philly!
I'm thrilled to have presented to hundreds of Indian alumni at the national TANA conference in Philly this week! I met and spoke with so many of you, getting to understand your opinions, feedback, interests, and constraints. This conference has opened several doors for funding, onboarding new colleges, and exploring new use cases, and I have each and every one of the alumni I interacted with to thank for that!
I'm extremely grateful, moreover, for the opportunity to pitch understem Inc. to a panel of highly distinguished managing partners and VCs as a Top 10 contestant in the Startup Launchpad Event. I was given honest and detailed feedback about bettering the platform and extending its reach, advice I'm incorporating into my work moving forward.
Once again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported understem Inc. at the TANA conference. Your excited eagerness to give back to your schools and colleges is worth admiring :)
By Haasini Paparaju | July 10, 2023
New Year, Exciting Future!
On the eve of yet another new year, I'm here to not only wish everyone well and healthy, but to motivate us to dig deeper and strive to better impact our communities.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and here's what I observed: this knowledge gap between those who've gone through what you're facing right now and what you currently know exists far beyond the traditional school/college setting. What if we can attack this problem even more holistically?
I'm now looking to extend our help to more cases of this knowledge gap - potentially from helping refugees see how brave men and women once in their shoes shot to success despite adversary, to supporting programs and meetings between hospital patients and those who recovered from illnesses. Let's spread positivity through knowledge and support!
Ahh! understem takes this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and safe New Year 2023! I am so, so grateful for all the help I've received over this past year and super proud of the progress we're making and seeing around us. I hold this organization, its mission, and all of you incredibly close to my heart, and I can't wait to do this all again - and much more - in the year to come!
By Haasini Paparaju | December 30, 2022
Inside understem: Onboarding
How do we approach and meet with colleges? Students? What does the onboarding process really look like right now here at understem? If you're curious, here's a brief breakdown:
- We set up an online meeting after an initial conversation and interest
- I explain the concept behind the platform (to college faculty, students, or sometimes both), along with how the college can go about the process, in-depth; not that it's daunting or lengthy or anything - just to clarify questions, personalize the experience as much as possible, and to outline the clear next steps. Which brings me to my next point -
- We outline some clear steps going forward
- Then I make any changes to the plan based on subsequent discussions (like setting up an initial alumni meeting frequency, which majors/departments are signing up)
- And we're off! It's that simple. And who knows - you might be next!
By Haasini Paparaju | September 06, 2022
Summer Itinerary: Website Updates
Knock, knock. Hello again! I'm here for a quick little update on...other updates, yup. I'm busy working away at our website this summer, helping improve it for better performance (and aesthetic, of course). It has been lovely so far working with all you colleges and students, each of a unique character and vision; I'm incredibly proud of the change we're bringing about for so many! My agenda for the next few months is to ensure a platform that'll support our growing family :)
By Haasini Paparaju | June 12, 2022
Session 1: A Data Science-Oriented Start
Short but sweet update today! We just completed our first official understem session with GITAM masters students, and to say I'm elated is quite the understatement! I'm so glad to see students benefitting from this program, and that alumni are more than willing to help their juniors.
Here's to all the more sessions going forward!
By Haasini Paparaju | April 23, 2022
Legal Entity: understem's Nonprofit Filing
This was a really fun experience for me, learning as I went about the process and its requirements. There were some hiccups regarding my age and starting a legal corporation as a minor, but we worked through it. It wasn't too easy getting to this stage, laying the groundwork for the organization, but there's nothing that excites me more than creating a large-scale benefactor.
I am extremely excited and grateful to be at this stage; it gave me a glimpse of what this platform will soon be capable of. Thank you once again to everyone who has assisted me on my journey so far, and I hope to serve many more of you going forward!
By Haasini Paparaju | April 10, 2022
Idea Formulation: Coming Up With The understem Concept
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward” ~ Steve Jobs
I love that quote. But I don't think it has to mean you should be completely clueless going into something; what if those established enough to "look backward" are on a path similar enough to yours that you can get an invaluable sneak-peek at what your life could be like? (hint hint you can now - hello alumni!)
Hey! I'm Haasini, a sophomore in high school. And living in a world now driven by knowledge and education, our actions and awareness are more important than ever.
Growing up in India and shifting to the US in the middle of my high school career, I found out I was completely clueless about things like the college admission process here. And you know what else shocked me? A lot of my new friends here were, too. I realized I was onto a big problem - bigger than I thought, perhaps?
It got me thinking about how much easier my life would be if I was given an organized, easily accessible source of information explaining concepts that are widely recognized to be confusing. On bringing this up with my parents, they reflected on their own college experience, and how the same thing played out with them entering the industry - only on a much grander scale.
Going from high school to college or from college to the workplace can be daunting and incredibly taxing: knowledge gaps are everywhere, and getting rid of them is both mentally and practically the best option to deal with that taxation.
Determined to do something about it, understem was born, after hours of research and website building. I hope to see this platform come of practical use to all you students out there, who will now have access to all advice necessary to succeed in the next stage of your careers - whether it be higher education, or entering the industry.
By Haasini Paparaju | December 29, 2021