Our story
An Introduction about Design your Careers (DYC)
Design Your Careers (DYC) is a comprehensive 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serving as a global, collaborative, central, and holistic platform for students to learn-share “several skills” with each other. The platform provides the perfect opportunity for students of all ages to share their skills, showcase their talent, and serve the community in various forms. We are a group of like-minded people who intend to bring in a collaborative knowledge sharing medium and thereby leadership in youth. We have initiated this as a singular platform to explore knowledge, skills, and passions throughout the community, city, nation, and the world! This is an initiative that seeks to encourage youth to get introduced to new talents, skills, and abilities in the realms of the well-rounded person.
The Story of How it All Started – by Rohan Malyala
“I was selected for the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute in middle school and my interests and curiosity helped me derive true value in thinking beyond books. STEM also introduced me to focus on collaboration, ideas, team work, insights, expertise, and understanding. This early exposure helped me expand my knowledge and encourage my classmates to inspire each other. When I was in 8th grade, I wanted to do good in a math competition that was going to be held in a few days. I needed an edge to make it count. Not guidance from a teacher or tutor, but some handy tips from someone who had been there and experienced it. I reached out to a couple of friends, who were great at math, but didn’t have time to help me. My parents then introduced me to Anirudhan Badrinath, a family friend, who is a math wizard of sorts. My parents knew that he had participated in the competition, and had requested him to help me out. Over the next few days, I studied with him and he showed me some amazing tips and tricks that made me more confident in scoring higher math competition! Getting to learn from someone who was about my age and was happy to share his knowledge, sparked an idea. I realized that when everyone has some sort of talent, skill, knowledge, or ability that sets them apart, why not share their skills with others? The question now was this – How do we connect students who want to share with students who want to learn?”
The Origins and Evolution of DYC
I rolled out the idea of a shared learning platform by registering DYC as a non-profit to benefit many others. It consisted of four primary programs, Logicians, Imaginers, Givers, and Players and the DYC logo
was registered on July 23rd, 2018.
Taking constant feedback and suggestions from my parents (Surekha, Vikas), Anirudh and mentors like Mary, Brendon, Don, Rajesh, and Praveen, we incorporated inputs into our endeavor. The basic funds
that got us going were from the parents of all the students involved. Those funds helped get the DYC website up and running and came in handy to host the first few workshops.
With the collective support, DYC has become an approved 501(c)(3) organization in September 2019 and is now eligible to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) for all contributions done
through DYC.
The DYC Approach and Aspiration
DYC aims to be a free-flowing catalyst and a platform encouraging children to explore their attributes in a bigger way, showcasing their skills while promoting collaboration among peers, doing away with
superiority complex while promoting belongingness, knowledge-sharing, and selflessness to the core.
- Purposeful Learning in diverse fields – logical, creative, social, and emotional
- Give-As-You-Go – Teach skills you know, while learning skills you don’t!
- All “Talents” Equal – We give due importance to every skill and talent of individuals
- Participate to Grow – Everyone can participate in learning, leading, teaching, or mentoring in education, arts and sports
At DYC, we encourage the sharing of knowledge. We don’t expect every mentor to be perfect at their craft, just presenting practical and applied knowledge to showcase what they’ve got. DYC Student leaders have inspired several learners who want to know and learn about the same things they did in the first place. In return, every student leader earned volunteer hours and special leadership recognition.
The DYC Team Composition
At DYC, Anirudhan Badrinath and I have first enrolled three other student leaders from other schools, who have different interests and hobbies. Pranavi Manchikanti is adept at calligraphy and languages while Ananya Veerapaneni is a master of sciences and quite an all-rounder for hosting events, and workshops. Yasesvi Punuganti is well-versed with diverse art forms like playing the flute and hosts dance
workshops. We have expanded our team now, participated in various community events and helped other non- profits and underserved children from time to time. We have worked on the feedback given to us and have managed to realize several ideas in building the platform. The DYC team, consisting of 42+ Student Leaders now spread in CA and NJ, was a huge success, as we roped them to share their passion by joining our team. We hosted many workshops and discussions. Our mentors and learners have experienced a marked rise in self-esteem and confidence, doing them a world of good in acquiring more skills.
Along with them, we have had many international volunteers and parents who supported us to serve the underserved children with small acts of charity and kindness and usher in huge smiles of happiness and satisfaction. Since DYC is not just a platform, but a community that inspires and shares knowledge; the Student Leaders and Volunteers are committed to continuing the good work always. Know how the team introduces logical, academic, non-academic, arts, skills, abilities, and activities that can help everyone grow collectively better than ever before.
Do visit our website for more details- www.designyourcareers.org and a glimpse of our 2 years success journey –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJzFT7Ovx78&t=12s
Follow us on social media for ongoing updates
● https://www.facebook.com/DesignYourCareers/
● https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGESvW9jnc_zn_r8PtOr iaw
Multiple volunteer opportunities are available to participate from home. Tools, Structure, and Templates, and support will be provided by the DYC team. These opportunities will satisfy all your volunteer and non-volunteer hours of community work and also earn special rewards. We are keen to make a difference in the community with our 360 model approach and our programs ensure to maximize everyone’s objectives.
At DYC, we help everyone share and grow together!
Be a part of DYC today! Please write an email if you’re interested and pass this on to your friends.
Email : info@designyourcareers.org
