Story of Suraj Gaur - Cadence Scholarship Program

In the bustling lanes of Faridabad, just beyond Delhi’s metroscape, Suraj Gaur quietly carried the weight of big dreams.

His father ran a vegetable stall, while his mother juggled housework and childcare for Suraj and his two younger sisters. With limited income and rising expenses, the family often had to make hard choices. When Suraj completed his 12^th grade, he had the academic merit to pursue engineering, but financial constraints forced him to take a year off,  putting his aspirations on hold.

During this difficult phase, he learned about the Cadence Scholarship Program from a former schoolmate. Suraj applied and was successful in the selection interview. With tuition and hostel expenses now covered, and with the added support of a mentor, he enrolled at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Varanasi, to pursue a B. Tech degree in electronics engineering.

Adjusting to the academic rigor of the IIT wasn’t easy, especially after a year-long break. Suraj worked hard and achieved outstanding success in his first year. Each semester brought new challenges, but Suraj stayed resilient with the support system of the Scholarship Program.

“My mentor, Jitendra Singh, was like a friend,” he shares. “I could talk to him openly about my concerns, whether it was my internship period or placements. Even when I faced failures in interviews, he helped me stay motivated and guided me forward.” Today, Suraj works at Samsung as a software developer—a dream that once seemed unreachable, now brought to life through hard work and the power of support.

Cadence Scholarship Program

Introduced eight 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 700 students across Delhi/NCR, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, 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 students' 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.