The Power of Education, Opportunity, and Giving Back

My parents believed deeply in the power of education.

My father earned a PhD in Economics, while my mother dedicated herself to raising our family. Together, they made significant sacrifices to ensure that my three siblings and I had access to an excellent education in New Delhi.

But their expectations went well beyond good grades.

They wanted us to work hard and make the most of every opportunity we were given. They encouraged us to participate in sports, cultural activities, charitable work, and the broader life of our schools.

Education, in their view, was about preparing yourself not simply for a career, but for life.

All four of us went on to pursue higher education and build careers of our own. Looking back, I recognize how much of that was made possible by the opportunities our parents gave us.

Their belief in education has stayed with me throughout my life.

Years later, while I was living in London, I had an experience that gave that belief an entirely new meaning.

A close friend was approaching his final year of undergraduate studies when his family in India could no longer afford to support his education. After spending years working toward his degree, he was facing the possibility of returning home without finishing it.

By then, I had begun my professional career with Coopers & Lybrand. I told him not to worry – I would help support him through his final year so he could finish his degree.

At the time, it felt like a simple decision. But I never forgot it.

The idea that someone could work so hard and come so close to completing an education, only to lose that opportunity because of circumstances beyond his control, stayed with me. I remember thinking that if

I were ever in a position to help other students facing similar barriers, I wanted to do it.

Years later, after building and selling businesses and reaching a point where I had the resources to give back in a more meaningful and lasting way, I established the Raj and Savitri Sharma Foundation in honor of my parents.

More Than Tuition Because my own education and career have been rooted in business, supporting business students was a natural place to begin.

But for me, a scholarship should provide more than financial assistance.

It should provide some freedom from the financial pressures that can prevent a student from fully experiencing university life.

Education doesn't happen only inside a classroom.

It happens through the people you meet, the organizations you join, the activities you participate in, the relationships you build, and the ideas and experiences that challenge you along the way.

Many students have no choice but to balance classes with significant work commitments simply to pay tuition and living expenses. I have enormous respect for them. But I also recognize what they can miss while carrying that financial burden.

If a scholarship gives a student more time to learn, participate, build relationships, and discover what they are capable of, then we have accomplished something much greater than paying a bill. We have created opportunity.

An Opportunity Comes With Responsibility My parents taught us that when you are given an opportunity, you have a responsibility to make the most of it.

Today, I would add something to that lesson.

When you are fortunate enough to succeed, you also have a responsibility to create opportunities for others.

That is what I hope the Foundation carries forward.

My goal is to build something that lasts well beyond me – a Foundation with the resources to continue supporting students for generations to come. But the financial sustainability of the Foundation is only part of the legacy I hope to create.

I want every student who receives a scholarship to remember that, at an important moment in their life, someone believed in them.

And someday, when they are in a position to do so, I hope they will ask themselves a simple question: How can I create an opportunity for someone else?

Maybe they will fund a scholarship. Maybe they will mentor a young person, support important research, contribute to a cause they believe in, or simply help one person at exactly the moment that person needs it.

The form of giving matters less than continuing the cycle.

My parents gave their children the gift of education and taught us to make the most of the opportunities it created. I have been fortunate to build on that foundation throughout my own life and career. The Raj and Savitri Sharma Foundation is one way I can carry their values forward.

Because ultimately, the legacy I hope to build is very simple:

Education creates opportunity.
Opportunity creates possibility.
Success creates the ability to give back.
And giving creates opportunity for the next generation.

If the students we support carry that forward in their own lives, there could be no greater tribute to my parents.