At just 18 years old, Adarsh Kumar won the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2025, a 100,000 dollar recognition intended for students who have had a concrete impact on society. Born in Champran, in the Indian state of the Bihar, Adarsh grew up in conditions of extreme poverty, with a single mother who sacrificed his savings to buy an old laptop.
That gesture became the spark that allowed him to learn from self -taught the programming and entrepreneurship through YouTube and Google. Determined to change his destiny, at just 14 years of age he left home with just 1,000 rupees, the equivalent of 10 euros, to move to Kota, hundreds of kilometers away, with the aim of receiving a better education.
A Mother’s Sacrifice, A Son’s Victory 18-Year-Old Adarsh Kumar From Bihar Has Just Won The $ 100,000 Chegg.org Global …
Posted by Manish Dubey on Wednesday, Octaber 1, 2025
The first social initiatives and the birth of Skillzo
Before even leaving, at 13 he had already founded the non-profit organization Mission Badlao, capable of mobilizing the local community: among its successes, the creation of a new public school, the distribution of over 2,000 anti-crovid vaccines, the delivery of products for female hygiene and the planting of 3,000 trees.
In 2023, Adarsh gave birth to Skillzo, a digital platform designed to offer tutoring and training to entrepreneurship for the most disadvantaged students. In just two years, the project has already supported over 20,000 young people, helping them access to scholarships, initiating initiatives and winning national prizes.
Recognition and the next objectives
His commitment did not stop there: thanks to the results obtained, Adarsh obtained a scholarship to attend the Jayshree Periwal International School in Rajasthan and distinguished himself as a consultant of the Google Youth Program, becoming the youngest member of an international team made up of 52 leaders. In addition, through the Bihar Chhatra Sansad, it involved over 1,500 students in local governance, raising funds for youth initiatives.
The international prize received in London will help him to create new projects: Skillzox, a mentorship platform based on artificial intelligence for students of rural areas, and ignitis Fellowship, a global accelerator for young innovators.
During the ceremony the founder of the Varkey Foundation, Sunny Varkey, underlined how Adarsh’s path shows that education remains the most powerful gift to open opportunities and transform life. A story that today represents a symbol of courage, resilience and vision for the new generations.
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