“Sometimes, the smallest spark in the darkest place can light up a world.” For 18-year-old Adarsh Kumar that spark came from a second-hand laptop his mother bought after months of saving. What began as a grit to rise over the gloomy state of poverty in childhood became an enlightening journey that has now inspired thousands. On the eve of Gandhi Jayanti in 2025, the world clapped for Adarsh Kumar for having won the Chegg.org Global Student Prize worth $100,000 from the United States.
This teenage startup founder and changemaker, who had once barely any money for a bus ticket, travelled internationally to receive the prize at an event held in London. The Global Student Prize 2025 winner Adarsh Kumar was selected out of nearly 11,000 nominations from 148 countries. Every year, Chegg Inc, a leading American educational organization, awards the Global Student Prize to “one exceptional student” who has made a real impact on society through education, innovation, and leadership.
Adarsh wants to invest the Global Student Prize money to multiply the socio-economic impact of his community welfare startup – Skillzo – through artificial intelligence and a fellowship. When he was 16 in 2023, he launched Skillzo that helps underprivileged yet meritorious students get scholarships and connects underserved rural youth with mentors for career guidance, as well as development opportunities. In just two years, Skillzo has supported 20,000 students and youths.
A part of the prize money would go into expanding Skillzo and supporting it with AI for better outcomes. He would utilize the prize money to introduce Ignite Fellowship for student innovators and run SkillzoX, a soon-to-be-launched upskilling program designed to empower the deserving youth with future-ready courses in communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, and of course, AI. Building on his experience of struggles to find mentors, he is eyeing improvements for more students and youths, irrespective of religion, community, and caste.
Raised by a single mother who worked as a domestic help to make ends meet; Adarsh Kumar joined the league of legends in Champaran, Bihar where Mahatma Gandhi started his Satyagraha Movement in 1917. Champaran, a historical place with stories of freedom movement, is also the birthplace of George Orwell, an English novelist of ‘Animal Farm’ fame; Manoj Bajpai, a National Film Award-winning actor; and Ramesh Chandra Jha, an eminent author and freedom fighter.
Education being the ultimate baton of ahimsa (non-violence) that Gandhiji preached in his lifetime encouraged Adarsh to dream big in a poverty-laden home where resources were scarce but aspirations were not. At 14, he left home in quest of better education opportunities beyond his village, with strong willpower and the old laptop that his mother had purchased for him. The laptop was his only outlet to access the outer world and explore free online courses until he left the village to make it big in life.
Eventually, he ended up in Kota, a city in Rajasthan, and the hub of prominent coaching institutes in India. Unable to afford paid classes, he studied in libraries, used free Wi-Fi, and continued to reach out to mentors for guidance. His hard work and persistence paid off when he earned a full scholarship worth INR 30 lakh to study at Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adarsh Kumar, then only 13, demonstrated leadership by launching a community initiative named Mission Badlao to improve education and healthcare in rural Bihar. The initiative helped secure land for a government school, organized over 2,000 COVID-19 vaccinations, distributed menstrual health products, and led plantation drives. His initiatives earned him recognition far and wide. He is one of the youngest Google Youth Advisors in India and has held leadership roles, including Chief Marketing Officer of Bihar Chhatra Sansad.
The Chegg Global Student Prize winner Adarsh Kumar’s story of grit and resilience, from the dusty streets of Champaran to the spotlight of international media, is a stark reminder – no beginning is too humble for a life to bloom and prosper. He does not define success in terms of wealth or fame but in the number of students empowered and communities uplifted. The award is not just another milestone in his journey, but a big opportunity to scale his mission and vision.
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