Why it exists
Alumni Connect started in 2016 when Shantaba School ran its first HSC batch. The students came from very poor backgrounds and had a high chance of dropping out after their HSC exams, before 2020, only about 20% of tribal students completed this crucial level (U-DISE). To reverse this, financial scholarship support combined with mentoring was critical.
What started with just 7 alumni grew year on year through MECT's donor network. After 2022, with higher HSC headcounts, Alumni Connect became one of our flagship projects, and a unique differentiator among organisations serving tribal students.
What we do
Career exposure & selection
At the pre-HSC stage, students get exposure visits and guidance on careers eligible for scholarship support, currently Medical & Para-Medical courses, Sports Education, Teaching and General Science streams.
Counselling at the selection stage
Interested students receive counselling to make the right choice, and a dedicated faculty member guides them through government schemes and the documentation they need.
Need-based scholarships
Donors from the MECT network adopt an alumni student for the duration of their course, with MECT facilitating the process. Each donor receives a report once a year, along with the student's marksheet.
Mentorship & training
A dedicated alumni coordinator conducts college visits, organises alumni meets and arranges additional skill trainings on request.
Sahil, a landless labourer's son from Kukeri, joined Shantaba Vidhyalay in preschool and scored 92% in SSC. He lost his father just months before his HSC exams and fell into depression. He qualified for BAMS but, after counselling from his teachers, took a one-year drop to refocus on NEET. In 2025 he topped the school and won an MBBS seat at GMERS Medical College.
From Bamanvel village, Payal lost her father in primary school and joined Shantaba Vidhyalay in Class 9. In her final semester she was hospitalised with severe Menorrhagia and underwent a blood transfusion, yet she never let it break her resolve. A strong HSC performance won her an MBBS seat at Kiran Medical College, Surat, which she joined in October 2025.
Strategic plan (2025–2028)
- Enlist a minimum of 100 new alumni students every year.
- Add Medicine, Engineering, Arts and select vocational courses for scholarship eligibility.
- Provide internships in skill-focused courses.
- Offer industry mentors on request.
- Launch a "pay it forward" scheme once students are placed in jobs.