For Sandeep Gangarapu, a new extraordinary VFF USA volunteer, education is the solution to most social problems that communities in rural India face. His North Star goal has always been to work in order to make education more accessible, affordable, and easier to attain.

Please tell us about yourself.

I was born in Kalyandurgam, a municipality in the Anantapur district. Both my parents run a convenience store. I did my primary schooling there, however, I moved to Hyderabad for middle and high school education. After that, I did my undergraduate studies in Aerospace engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. I then worked at Google as a Business Analyst for 3 years and then came to the US to pursue my graduate studies. I am currently finishing my Ph.D. in Information and Decision sciences. This past May, I started working as a Data Scientist for Apple at their Seattle branch focused on AI/ML organization.

How did you learn about the RDT work in India?

I have known RDT since I was a little kid. I have seen their hospitals, their programs and I have heard folklore about who they are, where they came from, and what they do. As a kid, I always thought RDT was a government organization. Even though there was a government hospital in Kalyandurgam, we would always go visit RDT for all our health care needs. As I grew up, I understood that it was a non-profit and slowly realized the scale of its operations and programs. As a kid, I really appreciated their healthcare programs and access to a great facility like the RDT hospital in Kalyandurgam. Now my favorite program is their “Education for Transformation” program, specifically sending a child to school by providing bicycles to kids in order to increase their attendance.

Why do you care about making a difference in the most vulnerable communities in rural India?

I strongly believe that education is the solution to most social problems that communities in my area face. Education has helped me achieve things that I could never imagine in my wildest dreams. I would love to go back and make a small difference, but I believe supporting nonprofits like RDT is the best way to start having an impact right away. Even though individuals can make a difference, I believe structured programs in non-profits are more robust and can make a meaningful and lasting impact.

How can we attract more Indian American youth to support our projects?

I believe everyone has a philanthropic bone in their body. It just needs to be found and tickled. Making contributions more personal by providing stories around the people they will impact would be a great way to motivate people to donate. Making investments in research-backed projects would be another way to show that their donations will actually have an impact. Also, there is an opportunity in creating media that young people will consume and connect to via social media and YouTube.

Why is it important for you to support young women in their pursuit of STEM education in rural India?

Two reasons. First, I strongly believe in women being independent and self-sufficient. This is especially important in rural India where women are considered a burden from a young age. Supporting young women to pursue STEM education is one of the best ways to help them be independent. Due to the burgeoning opportunities and transferable skills STEM offers, this is the quickest and most reliable path toward getting them into the workforce. Second, STEM fields traditionally lacked gender diversity. This lack of diversity leads to narrow-minded product/service development which hurts the fields in the long run.

Tell us more about your fundraising campaign to support VFF USA.

I mentor professionals in the data science field to prepare them for interviews and understand the field better. I also consult individuals on projects related to statistics and data science. I decided to donate all the proceeds from these activities and match them with my own income to sow the seeds of education for future generations especially those who want to break the cycle of illiteracy.

What other initiatives are you planning to organize in the future?

I plan to continue raising funds through mentoring activities. As a frequent participant in endurance sports, I want to raise funds for VFF by running marathons and helping others take part in my journey while spreading the message about VFF.

What are your biggest dreams?

My North Star goal has always been to work in order to make education more accessible, affordable, and easier to attain. That and educate people to make choices that are more sustainable for the environment and protect the communities we live in. Like every millennial today, I want to be part of the FIRE movement (Financial independence, retire early) and be self-sufficient so I can dedicate my life to making small progress on these goals.

Learn more about Sandeep’s work here: https://sandeepgangarapu.com/