We had the good fortune of connecting with Lavik Jain Jacob Abraham, Parthiv Shah, and Abhiram Tadepalli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lavik Jain, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Toward the end of their freshman year in high school, Lavik Jain, Jacob Abraham, and Abhiram Tadepalli recognized a gap in their school’s instruction: there was insufficient discussion of the practical applications of the theoretical concepts they learned in the classroom.

They sought to fill that gap through an experience that allowed students to drive their own exploration in areas of STEM by undertaking initiatives that tangibly bettered society. That’s why they cofounded a club—Explore. Design. Solve!—at their school, Centennial High School. They desired to bring students’ diverse interests, strengths, and backgrounds to initiate projects that tangibly better the world around them. All the while, they wanted to provide a forum for students to learn about various aspects of STEM by getting their hands dirty.

Although it took many semesters of failure and readjustment, once the group had success with their program, they desired to share this experience with the world. Parthiv Shah, a committed member of the chapter at Centennial joined the officer team as they expanded. Over the course of the past year, Explore. Design. Solve! has established 17 chapters across the globe, hailing from 3 countries and 12 states.

If you would like to start a chapter of your own, register at exploredesignsolve.org and they will reach out to you with more information!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We have certainly faced a lot of challenges through this fulfilling journey in the past three years. In our first year, everyone was virtual, so collaboration with each other was significantly more difficult. On top of that, it was our first year, so we were experimenting ourselves—to figure out what the best way to go about running the organization was.

But we always looked to our values, philosophies, and the opportunity we wanted to provide for others: a collaborative experience where students can learn by doing in STEM while tangibly bettering society. So through all of these challenges, we stuck with it. And we have reaped the rewards—with all of the projects that are out there and growth from our members. We are just happy for these past three years and what we have gained from them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We would like to thank Ms. Lu, who was our first sponsor at Centennial High School. She was the first one to believe in our idea, and without her support, we wouldn’t have been where we are today.

Website: https://www.exploredesignsolve.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploredesignsolve

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/explore-design-solve

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29eAHN_zi8spNjxWw01TYQ

Image Credits
Lavik Jain

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