Iyer Foundation
Students learning together in a warm outdoor setting

Voices of change

Stories of Change

Behind every scholarship is a life transformed. These are the students whose courage and determination inspire everything we do.

Ananya Krishnan — Engineering scholarship recipient
Engineering

Tamil Nadu·Class of 2019

Ananya Krishnan

"I used to walk four kilometres to school every day. The scholarship didn't just pay my fees — it told me my dream was worth something."

Ananya grew up in a small farming village in Tamil Nadu, the eldest of three children. Her father worked the fields; her mother stitched garments at home. Despite the long walk to school and the weight of family expectations, Ananya never missed a day of class.

When she received the Iyer Foundation scholarship in 2019, everything changed. She enrolled in an engineering programme in Chennai, became the first person in her family to attend college, and graduated with honours in 2023.

Today, Ananya works as a junior engineer at a renewable energy firm and sends money home every month. She visits her village school each year to speak to students who remind her of herself.

Impact: First in her family to graduate college. Now mentors 12 students from her village.

Kerala·Class of 2015

Ravi Menon

"The best thing I ever did was go back. Teaching the children I grew up with — there is no greater privilege."

Ravi was the first in his neighbourhood to finish secondary school. His parents, both daily wage labourers, scraped together what they could, but it was the Iyer Foundation that made higher education possible.

After completing his Bachelor of Education, Ravi returned to his hometown in Kerala — not because he had to, but because he chose to. He joined the local government school as a mathematics teacher and has since transformed the school's pass rate from 54% to 91%.

In 2022, Ravi was recognised by the Kerala State Education Board as one of the top ten teachers in the state. He credits the foundation for giving him the belief that he could make a difference.

Impact: Raised school pass rate from 54% to 91%. Recognised as a top state teacher in 2022.

Ravi Menon — Education scholarship recipient
Education
Meera Iyer — Medicine scholarship recipient
Medicine

Karnataka·Class of 2017

Meera Iyer

"My patients come from the same villages I grew up in. Every time I help one of them, I think of the foundation and feel grateful."

Meera's love of books began with a single dog-eared science textbook she found at a roadside stall. By the time she was twelve, she had decided she would become a doctor. Her family believed her — but they could not afford to make it happen.

The Iyer Foundation scholarship in 2017 opened the door. Meera studied medicine at a government college in Bengaluru, working part-time in the library to cover her living expenses. She graduated in 2023 and is now completing her residency in general medicine.

Meera plans to return to rural Karnataka to set up a community clinic. She already volunteers on weekends at a mobile health camp that serves three villages near her hometown.

Impact: MBBS graduate. Volunteers at rural health camps serving 3 villages every weekend.

The next story could be yours.

Whether you are a student seeking support or a donor wanting to make a difference — there is a place for you in this story.

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