17: On growing up in poverty, never giving up, and building a foundation to educate thousands of vulnerable children in Nepal with Surya Karki

Millennial Musings with Anurag

Surya Karki is one of the most inspirational people you will ever come across. He was born and brought up in poverty by a single mother in a village where education was a rare sight and schooling was a 2.5 hours walk to-and-from the school. He left his family and his village at 8 years old to study in the capital of Nepal and went on to study at the United World College of Venezuela, finished his undergraduate from the College of the Atlantic in Maine and his Masters Degree as a Schwarzman Scholar in China. Recognizing the opportunity he had, he dedicated his life to educating those with a similar background to him--building over 34 schools and educating over 5200 vulnerable children in Nepal, through his organization, United World Schools in Nepal.

In this episode of Millennial Musings, Anurag chats with Surya about his incredible journey, and tries to understand the mentality, dedication, and perseverance of one of the most impactful young leaders in the world today. They further discuss some of their experiences as Schwarzman Scholars in Beijing, a year that bonded them for life.

While Surya does not like to discuss his awards and recognition, Anurag has no problem revealing it. For his work in education and sustainable development, in 2014, he was awarded the Prince of Wales and UNILEVER Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Award; in 2016, he was recognized as one of 30 under 30 International Literacy Association leaders; and in 2017, he was listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia.

Follow Surya and his work:

United World Schools Nepal Website

Follow Anurag on:

Instagram: @anuragrc and @millennialmusings_podcast
Title music Ikson-Alive is obtained from the artist's website, and used with due credit given. Support Ikson's music on https://soundcloud.com/ikson