By TAYLOR HARTZSTAFF WRITER Ishaan Patel is an eighth-grade student at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, where lessons are taught on smart boards and assignments are completed on laptops. When Patel thought of school, he thought of an education modeled around technology—typing essays, researching online, and using computer software to complete his projects. That was until his aunt took trips to India and Costa Rica and returned home with photos of dirt-covered children sitting on concrete floors, and attending class with no desks, no pencils, and no books. “When we saw the pictures, it made me want to actually do something,” said Patel. Like many eighth-graders, Patel keeps a busy schedule filled with classes, homework, a sport each season, and lessons for two instruments. Unlike most his age, Patel founded a 501c3 non-profit organization, at the age of 13, where he raises funds to help provide students in the U.S. and abroad with an education. Patel said he found it both “fascinating and scary” to hear stories of what schools were like in underprivileged areas around the world, and it inspired him to do something to help. “It made me feel that we need to do something about it,” said Patel, […]
By TAYLOR HARTZSTAFF WRITER Ishaan Patel is an eighth-grade student at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, where lessons are taught on smart boards and assignments are completed on laptops. When Patel thought of school, he thought of an education modeled around technology—typing essays, researching online, and using computer software to complete his projects. That was until his aunt took trips to India and Costa Rica and returned home with photos of dirt-covered children sitting on concrete floors, and attending class with no desks, no pencils, and no books. “When we saw the pictures, it made me want to actually do something,” said Patel. Like many eighth-graders, Patel keeps a busy schedule filled with classes, homework, a sport each season, and lessons for two instruments. Unlike most his age, Patel founded a 501c3 non-profit organization, at the age of 13, where he raises funds to help provide students in the U.S. and abroad with an education. Patel said he found it both “fascinating and scary” to hear stories of what schools were like in underprivileged areas around the world, and it inspired him to do something to help. “It made me feel that we need to do something about it,” said Patel, […]