Karuna Narayan Kadam: An Exemplar of How Resilience Can Conquer Adversity

Karuna's story began in the narrow streets of Pune, where her father, a hardworking truck driver, tried to support Karuna, her mother, and two siblings.

Despite attending government schools with limited resources, Karuna achieved an impressive 91.6% in her 12^th grade Board Exams. She did well in the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test and secured admission in MKSS’s Cummins College of Engineering to pursue a B.Tech degree in Computer Science. However, the high course fees seemed an insurmountable hurdle.

Fortunately, a local NGO that had been a part of Karuna's life since childhood recognized her academic prowess and referred her to the Cadence Scholarship Program. With the Program’s support, Karuna fueled her passion for learning.

Karuna has not looked back since; she became the only representative from her college selected for a prestigious three-month all-expense-paid research internship at the University of Notre Dame in the USA. However, this opportunity clashed with her internship at a corporation, and she chose to prioritize her commitment towards it.

Karuna's research paper "Movie Recommendation Systems Using Machine Learning" was selected at the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Innovation in Academic Research (ICMIAR-2023) in Chennai, India. She presented her paper online during the conference. She also won the first prize in a hackathon by developing a full-fledged application for farmers, aiding them in making informed decisions about crops, fertilizers, and plant diseases.

Karuna's mentor from Cadence, Ms. Sonali Homkar, played a pivotal role in her academic pursuit. Karuna says, “My mentor significantly contributed to my personal and professional growth. Under her guidance, I improved my communication skills and developed strong leadership abilities. Her mentorship has been instrumental in shaping my career.”

Currently, Karuna is in the final year of her course with an average CGPA of 9.4. She successfully completed her internships at two companies. One of the companies she interned with (multinational financial services company), offered her a pre-placement, and she will join them in June 2024 as a Software Developer Engineer. Subsequently, she intends to pursue a Master's degree in a relevant field to further enhance her knowledge and skills.

Karuna's journey to international recognition is a testament to her grit and the transformative power of education. Her story is an inspiration, reminding us that dreams can become a reality with determination, resilience, and a helping hand.

Cadence Scholarship Program

Introduced seven years ago in India, the Cadence Scholarship Program aims at addressing the issue of retaining students from underprivileged backgrounds in the academic cycle through funding and support to undertake graduation and professional courses for livelihood. Over the years, it has benefited more than 500 students across Delhi/NCR, Bangalore, Pune, and Ahmedabad.

The execution and administration of the program is managed by our NGO partners Concern India Foundation (CIF) and Joining Hands. The students are selected through a rigorous process of due diligence carried out by Joining Hands. Concern India Foundation oversees the student’s performance throughout their coursework. Cadence employees in each of these locations volunteer as mentors to help them with their studies, develop their personalities, and improve their communication and employability skills.