Pradeep Kumar always had an interest in cars. His dream was to be able to build a car with his own hands and that inspired him to become an engineer. The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) passout was a step closer to his dream when he got into the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra, which had a club – Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) – that builds cars to compete with other colleges at Formula Bharat.

Building a car required money and he did not want his parents to be burdened beyond paying his college fees. That’s when he got to know about the Samsung Star Scholar program for ex-JNV students.

“I would have never been at the racing track looking ahead at the future of my choice without the Samsung Start Scholar program,” said Pradeep, son of a farmer from Rewari in Haryana.

Pradeep didn’t want to be a farmer or a soldier, the only option that most youths in his town got. When he was enrolled at JNV, where he studied at the Samsung Smart Class, he found a new meaning in regular studies. He was studying visually for the first time and that made him inclined towards the sciences.

Studying engineering would, however, mean a huge financial commitment for his parents, who were not thrilled initially, but supported him with coaching at Kota in Rajasthan.

Pradeep got selected as a Samsung Star Scholar during his first semester at NIT Kurukshetra and the scholarship amount not only helped him reduce his parents’ financial stress but also gave him the confidence to chase his dream.

His dream of building a car came true at college. Pradeep and his team built a car that won the ‘Endurance’ round and came 6th out of 90 teams at Formula Bharat, an engineering student design competition where teams compete with a Formula-style vehicle.

Samsung Star Scholar program offers a 150 scholarships of up to INR 2 lakh for expenses related to tuition, examination, hostel and mess for one academic year and it can be renewed every year up to 5 years.

The selection of first-year applicants is based on their All India Rank (AIR) in JEE Main, however, to get a renewal of the scholarship for the 2nd – 4/5th year, students are required to maintain a Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CPGA) rating of 5 or above.

The program seeks to financially support less privileged students from JNV schools who qualify to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Technology (NIT), fulfilling Samsung’s vision of Powering Digital India by empowering the next generation of Young India.

Pradeep completed his engineering last year and has been placed at a leading Construction Machinery Manufacturing Giant in Kharagpur, West Bengal.

Samsung Star Scholar program, now in its fifth year, has so far benefitted 650 JNV students. Under this program, each year, Samsung offers scholarships to meritorious students pursuing full-term B. Tech/Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) course at any IIT or NIT. The program offers a scholarship of up to 2 lakh for expenses related to tuition, examination, hostel and mess for one academic year and it can be renewed every year up to 5 years.

This year, in line with Samsung India’s continuous effort to encourage young talent, the program has granted 150 scholarships to new applicants from JNVs, of which 85 will begin their journey across 14 different IITs and 65 at 15 different NITs across India this year.

Scholarships for 367 students currently pursuing full-term B. Tech/Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) have been renewed for the next year. Recipients of renewed scholarships include 175 second year students, 94 third year students and 97 fourth year students.

“At Samsung, we believe in nurturing and encouraging young talent. We have been working with JNV schools since 2013 and we are very proud of the impact our Samsung Smart Class program in these schools has made in the development of students across India. Samsung Star Scholar program, started in 2016, is an extension of this effort and we are very pleased that this year despite the challenges on the ground, we have been able to reach out to these gifted students,” said Peter Rhee, Corporate Vice President & Deputy Managing Director, Samsung India.

The Samsung India and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti partnership began in 2013 with the ‘Samsung Smart Class’ program which was aimed at providing quality education for children from rural backgrounds. At present, Samsung Smart Class program is operational at 683 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools. So far, over 430,000 students have benefitted from it and over 8,000 teachers have been trained on how to use interactive technology to teach. Every Samsung Smart Class is equipped with an interactive Samsung Smartboards, Samsung tablets, a printer, Wi-Fi connectivity and power backup.

Under the Star Scholar program, while the selection for first year applicants is based on their All India Rank (AIR) in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main), to get a renewal of the scholarship for the 2nd – 4th years, the applicant is required to maintain a Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CPGA) rating of 5 or above.

To learn more about the ‘Samsung Star Scholar’ program, please visit Samsung’s website https://www.samsung.com/in/microsite/sapne-hue-bade/star-scholar/