Saritha AC: From Humble Beginnings to Triumph

Hailing from Bagepalli, a remote village about 100 km from Bangalore, Saritha's story unfolded against relentless hard work and difficult circumstances. Her parents worked in the farms as daily wage laborers and faced the daunting challenge of educating their three children.

Saritha completed her schooling at a government school where the quality of education, especially in the teaching of science subjects, was not strong. Financial constraints prevented any private tuition. Yet, she defied the odds, scoring an impressive 94% in her 10^th grade Board Exams.

After securing excellent scores in the 12th grade Board Exams, Saritha began preparing for entrance exams to pursue a professional course. Simultaneously, she was hunting for scholarship opportunities, knowing that higher studies seemed out of reach without a scholarship.

Through her school, Saritha learned about the Cadence Scholarship Program. Recognizing her merit and economic challenges, Cadence committed to supporting her with college and dorm fees. Saritha eventually secured admission to pursue a bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering at the prestigious Visveswaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore.

Due to her introverted nature and lack of exposure, Saritha lacked confidence. Her mentor from Cadence, Ms.Sowmya Venkateswaran, assisted Saritha in overcoming her shyness by helping her develop her soft skills, thereby bolstering her confidence.

Saritha completed her course and achieved a stellar 9 CGPA. Even before graduating, she secured a job as a software engineer at a well-known IT company through campus placement. Since July 2023, Saritha has been enjoying her new life as a working professional.

Expressing her gratitude, Saritha said, "Without the Cadence Scholarship Program, none of this would have been possible, as my parents were not in a position to fund an engineering course. I am a confident girl now, standing on my own feet and supporting my parents. I am immensely grateful to Sowmya Ma'am for being an exceptional mentor. Her wisdom and encouragement guided me through tough times and helped me emerge stronger during my B.Tech. This helped me to succeed in college placement in the final year."

Cadence Scholarship Program

Introduced seven years ago in India, the Cadence Scholarship Program aims to address 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 are 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.