Introducing North South Foundation
As Nelson Mandela says, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Quality education helps create a better future generation, creating a sustainable planet, preventing unnecessary deaths, promote world peace, reducing poverty and inequality. It is not, however, accessible to all, particularly those from underdeveloped nations and communities.
Dr. Ratnam Chitturi, an Indian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur, established the North South Foundation in 1989, a non-profit organization to provide opportunities to motivated children from disadvantaged communities who wish to pursue higher education and excel in their careers. The North South Foundation (NSF) is an American-based non-profit organization.
The NSF seeks educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged and academically gifted students in India. The organization administers a variety of academic competitions and scholarship programs to identify and support students who excel in math, science, vocabulary, essay writing, public speaking, and more.
They host annual regional, national, and international competitions that attract thousands of participants. These contests include mathematics, science, vocabulary, essay writing, and public speaking. In addition, the organization provides merit-based scholarships to students in India so they can pursue higher education.
NSF in Portland
NSF operates through a nationwide network of devoted volunteers and local chapters. The Portland chapter is one of the most active of the more than 90 chapters in North America. The Portland chapter required a new chapter director as the previous chapter director relocated outside of Portland for work-related reasons. Even though the Portland chapter has more than ten highly motivated volunteers, they were seeking a new individual who could bring fresh perspectives to encourage young talent and actively orchestrate educational events.
Naga Vemprala, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Portland who teaches operations and technology management courses in the College of Business, promptly accepted the position when contacted by the Portland chapter. Dr. Vemprala is fortunate to have the support of all the volunteers and the University of Portland.
Inaugural Event at UP
UP encourages its faculty members to reach out to local communities and assist them in achieving their educational objectives in any way possible. With additional support from the Dean of the College of Business, Dr. Michael DeVaughn, UP was able to reserve multiple classrooms and the auditorium and became the host for the 2023 regional events.
Fr. Dan Parrish and Dr. Claire Costin, two extraordinary Pamplin School of Business faculty members who became volunteers and spelling competition judges, actively participated in the events alongside multiple children and their families to encourage and celebrate the children’s achievements.
Dr. Lisa Reed, Associate Dean, served as the event’s special guest to supervise the distribution of prizes. The entire team of volunteers who have been actively involved in contest administration over the years embraced the collaborative effort of the UP faculty volunteers and cherished the moments of prize distribution and events shared together. Through their active participation in these contests in the form of seminars, coaching, and contest organization, many high school students have participated in the events, passed on their knowledge, and helped juniors excel.
Special thanks to the volunteers of the Portland chapter: Prasanna Paralkar, Anwesha, Devu Pandit, Shilpa Mantri, Bharati Pawar, Jay Mittal, Dinesh, Anand Murthy, Meena, Thrupti Paralkar, Madhu, and Navnit Agarwal.
Connect with NSF
To connect and learn more about North South Foundation, please visit – https://www.northsouth.org/public/home