Two weeks that changed my life completely

Fifteen-year-old Parthsarthi Suri is a student at the Emirates International School – Jumeirah, in Dubai, UAE. He participated in the Knowledge@Wharton High School Global Young Leaders Academy at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2017. Here’s what he had to say about the experience.

I have often heard this famous quote by the world-renowned motivational speaker and author, Zig Ziglar: “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.” I didn’t quite understand what he meant by this. I thought he meant success will take a long time to achieve and one shouldn’t give up. However, once I signed up for the Knowledge@Wharton High School Global Young Leaders Academy (GYLA) at the University of Pennsylvania, I just knew I took my first step on the stairs.

I know I sound like some philosophical kind of guy, but it’s true – those two weeks changed my life completely. When I first applied for this course, I didn’t know what to expect because I had never done a summer course before. Looking at the previous class of GYLA, I knew that people from all different backgrounds and cultures would be joining me in this short two-week journey, and I was nervous because I didn’t know any of the other participants. But once I entered Harnwell College House (the dorm where we all stayed), met my roommates and the 45 ambitious young minds, I knew I was in the right place. Meeting people from all over the world helped me understand different cultures and beliefs, and made me a more open-minded person.

While at UPenn, I learned a wide range of vital skills from each of the different lecturers we had. From learning about the nature of technological innovation with Dr. Saikat Chaudhuri, to learning basic public speaking skills with Ms. Susan Brake, living life as a UPenn student (even if it was just for two weeks) was absolutely fantastic.

Now, you may be wondering what makes this course different from any other summer program for high-school students. Well for starters, while attending lectures by some of the best academics in the country, we are all competing with each other in a business plan competition. For the competition, we were divided up into groups of five or six, and had to work the theories and skills we learned in the lectures into our presentation. So in two weeks’ time, I went from being Parthsarthi Suri, student, to Parthsarthi Suri, CEO of IntHSchool, an online platform that connects high-school students to internships in the comfort of your home.

Two weeks was all the time we had to prepare a pitch for our idea before a panel of judges and prospective investors. So, we had to fill in the shoes of CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, etc., and decide on the strategies we would implement to ensure that every investor chooses us over the others. Even though my team did not win the business plan competition, I can not thank my lecturers, the RAs, and the chaperones enough, for the help they provided us while preparing to pitch our idea.

The four RAs were UPenn students, so I learned some quirky fun things about UPenn from them. For example, I learned that you should never cross the compass that in the center of Locust Walk, or else you will fail your midterms. I blame my team for not winning because one of us must have walked on the compass (just kidding!).

The Compass on Locust Walk, on the University of Pennsylvania campus

On the weekends we had the opportunity to sightsee America. The first weekend, we explored Washington, D.C., where we visited the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument. We went to the Monument mainly because Spider-Man climbed it in the new movie. No luck for the rest of us, however, as the elevator to go to the top is under construction until 2019 L.

The next day we visited the Garden State, New Jersey, specifically Six Flags amusement park. The experience can only be described in one word: AWESOME. From riding the second fastest roller coaster in the world to acting like James Bond in an obstacle course, it was FREAKING AWESOME.

At the Washington Monument with the squad

At the Lincoln Memorial with the Wharton squad

The second weekend, we went to the ‘Big Apple’ and visited the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center. Then it was time to say goodbye to the people who really changed me for the better.

We didn’t have torches, so we used water bottles instead. Behold the statue of Parth and Dasha!

Checking out the view from atop the Empire State Building

I would like to thank every person involved in organizing this two-weeks summer course, and a special thank-you to BrainGain Magazine and Knowledge@Wharton High School for making it happen. This two-week journey was something I will never forget, along with my fellow travelers, who are now like my family.

By: Parthsarthi Suri