When Diksha Nagarkoti stepped into her college in the remote town of Pithoragarh, she carried the same questions that so many young women from rural India carry: What lies ahead for me? Where do I belong in this vast landscape of possibilities?
An ecology enthusiast at heart, she often found herself lost between her passion for the environment and the absence of clear pathways to pursue it. Like countless young women across India, Diksha came from a place where opportunities seemed far away. Remote colleges like hers rarely have the exposure, networks, or mentoring that can illuminate career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Her story took a turn when she joined the program ‘She for STEM’, an initiative by VigyanShaala International. Through this program, she was paired with Dr Hemant Tripathi from UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, a mentor who not only guided her career choices but also expanded her imagination of what was possible. Under his mentorship, Diksha secured a year-long internship with D-time.ai, a London-based think-tank, where she worked on harnessing data to develop a forecasting tool for mitigating ecological and environmental shocks.
This was not just an internship. For Diksha, it was a window into a world of science and impact that had once seemed distant and unreachable. Today, she has joined Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bangalore, for her MSc in Environmental Studies in Conservation Practice. She now carries with her not only academic knowledge but also the confidence to represent her community’s voice in national and global conversations on conservation.
Diksha’s journey is more than her own. It is a reflection of the aspirations of countless girls studying in last-mile government colleges in India who are bright, determined, and full of dreams, but often lacking direction and resources. It is also a testament to what happens when mentorship, opportunity, and community come together.
VigyanShaala: The Beginning of a Movement
The story of VigyanShaala International begins with Dr Darshana Joshi, a physicist from Uttarakhand whose own journey reflects the power of education to transform lives. From her humble beginnings in the Himalayan foothills, she rose to finish her PhD from the University of Cambridge and later became the first Indian woman elected as President of the Graduate Union there. Living through this journey, she experienced both the challenges of access for girls from small towns and the opportunities that mentorship and global exposure can unlock.
Determined to give back, Dr Darshana Joshi founded VigyanShaala International, a volunteer-led movement of global scientists committed to making quality STEM education and opportunities accessible to all. Many of these scientists had left small towns and villages of India to pursue advanced education and careers in science. Along the way, they experienced how access and exposure shaped their lives. They realised that while talent is equally distributed across geographies, opportunity is not. ‘She for STEM’ program was born from this realisation to bring mentorship and career opportunities to young women in the most under-resourced colleges of India at their very doorsteps.
By curating mentorships with scientists, industry experts, and academicians across the globe, She for STEM creates bridges that connect young women to possibilities that were once unimaginable. It not only opens doors to higher education and career paths but also nurtures confidence and agency in girl students who might otherwise fade into obscurity.
The Problem at Hand
India today stands at a critical juncture. World Economic Forum predicts that globally 80% of the jobs of the future will require STEM skills. India has no shortage of bright young women ready to take on this challenge with 43% of young women aged 18-23 is enrolled in higher education (AISHE, 2022). Yet, when we look at the STEM workforce, women make up only 15% (Observer Research foundation, 2024). This staggering gap reveals a story of exclusion. The dreams, perspectives, and challenges of nearly half our population are disproportionately missing from the very fields that are shaping our collective future.
The problem is compounded by geography. Nearly 60% of India’s colleges are located in rural areas (AISHE, 2022)., where resources are scarce, infrastructure is inadequate, and access to mentors or role models is almost non-existent. These institutions serve millions of students, many of them first-generation learners, yet their isolation keeps them cut off from opportunities that their urban peers take for granted.
Without intervention, we risk leaving behind a vast pool of talent at precisely the time when the world needs diverse voices to tackle pressing challenges such as climate change, sustainable energy, public health, and technological innovation.
The Solution- ‘She for STEM’
She for STEM is VigyanShaala’s response to this urgent need. It is not just a program but a movement to democratize access to STEM opportunities. At its core, it recognises three things:
1. ‘Inspiration-to-Aspiration’ pipeline: If young women in rural colleges never see a scientist, a CEO, an engineer, or a conservationist who looks like them, they will not imagine themselves in those roles.
2. Driving confidence through Mentorship: Guidance from mentors, whether a professor at Cambridge, an ecologist at UNEP, or a data scientist in Bangalore, gives students the clarity they need to chart their own course.
3. Advocating Sustainability through Community Building: By building a network of peers, mentors, faculty, and sector experts, She for STEM ensures that no young woman feels alone on her journey.
Through its mentoring program, digital learning platforms, and local outreach, She for STEM has already begun transforming lives. Students like Diksha are discovering that their voices matter, that their perspectives are needed, and that their futures are not limited by where they come from.
Building Supportive Ecosystems
The challenge of bridging the gender gap in STEM is too vast for any single organisation to solve alone. That is why VigyanShaala has embraced a collaborative approach. She for STEM brings together multiple stakeholders like colleges, government bodies, mentors, industry leaders, and local communities to build ecosystems of support.
The goal is simple yet ambitious: to ensure that every young woman in a rural or under-resourced college has the chance to imagine a future in STEM and the tools to achieve it.
A Vision for the Future
Diksha’s journey from Pithoragarh to ATREE is a story of resilience, mentorship, and opportunity. But it is also a story of what is possible when we invest in young women. She for STEM envisions a future where stories like hers are not the exception, but the norm.
Imagine a world where the voices of girls from the Himalayas, the deserts of Rajasthan, and the coasts of Odisha are shaping global conversations on climate, technology, and innovation. Imagine classrooms in remote government colleges buzzing with digital courses, mentorship sessions, and peer learning circles. Imagine industries, research institutions, and governments enriched by the perspectives of women who once thought such spaces were closed to them.
This is the future VigyanShaala is working toward. A future where no young woman is left wondering where she belongs. A future where STEM fields are not only diverse and inclusive but also reflective of the dreams and talents of all of India’s daughters.
Because when we invest in girls like Diksha, we are not just changing one life; we are rather changing the trajectory of communities, regions, and nations.
