KOCHI: As part of the broader US-India Strategic Dialogue, the United States and India have organised a Higher Education Summit in Washington DC on October 13 to highlight and emphasise the many avenues through which the higher education communities in the US and India can collaborate, said US Consul-General Jennifer McIntyre at Rajagiri School of Management Studies recently. “One of my favourite new initiatives is Passport to India. This private sector-led initiative will target American students - from high school to graduate school - and provide them first-hand knowledge of India while participating in internships with companies and organisations here.”Passport to India internships would range from three weeks to six months and would include service learning opportunities such as volunteer work with an NGO, summer scientific research internships, and internships with an organisation or private sector company linked to a student’s academic interests. “Our two countries also enjoy strong and growing business ties. This past February, then Commerce Secretary Gary Locke brought over a group of companies on an invaluable trade mission. My colleague Jim Golsen, our Principal Commercial Officer, is also in Kerala this week, meeting with companies and looking for ways to increase trade and export opportunities for our two countries.Just last week, the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation announced that it approved 150 million dollars in financing to expand the use of solar energy to power telecommunication towers in India. The benefits of such efforts are multiple - it will significantly reduce CO2 emissions as well as create jobs in both the United States and India,” Jennifer said. In fact, OPIC has invested over 400 million dollars in India this year alone on renewable energy projects. Jennifer related an exemplary story of a boy. Back in the late 1960s, one of Hewlett Packard’s original founders and then president, Bill Hewlett, took a phone call from a local 12-year-old working on a school project. Rather than hang up, Hewlett helped the child with the project and eventually gave him a summer internship at Hewlett Packard. Last month, that child, Steve Jobs who is no more, resigned as CEO of Apple. His accomplishments make him, arguably, the most innovative person of the last half century, and it all started with someone giving him a chance. “Be bold. Be different. Be passionate about your ideas, and do whatever it takes to push your good ideas forward. And don’t be afraid to fail. If you are bright and motivated, you can overcome your mistakes. The world needs good ideas, and people who are willing to work to make them a reality,” she said. She also said, “Down the road, when you are managers and presidents and CEOs and have a young student come to you with an idea, find the time to listen. If their idea stinks, tell them. But work with them and make it better. There are so many bright minds and brilliant ideas out there, just waiting for the right audience.”
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