From rural roots to global recognition: Bihar teen wins $100,000 student prize

An 18-year-old from Champaran, Bihar, has won the $100,000 Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2025, standing out among nearly 11,000 entries from 148 countries.

Adarsh Kumar received the award at a ceremony in London on Wednesday for his work in education and community impact.

“Winning this prize has given me the confidence to work harder. My message is simple: change starts within, then spreads to the world. Dream big,” said Adarsh after accepting the award.

Raised by a single mother who worked as domestic help, Adarsh’s journey began with limited resources but big dreams.

His mother saved enough to buy him a laptop, which he used to teach himself coding and entrepreneurship through free online materials.

By the time he was in eighth grade, Adarsh had launched his first start-up, which did not succeed. But his second project, Mission Badlao, proved transformative.

It helped 1,300 families access government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat health cards, pensions, vaccinations, and school admissions.

At 14, he left home with ₹1,000 to prepare for the IIT-JEE in Kota. Without funds for coaching, he used free library Wi-Fi to connect with mentors.

These interactions led to internships and opportunities to shadow company founders, eventually inspiring him to start Skillzo, a platform offering entrepreneurial training and mentorship.

Skillzo has since reached over 20,000 underserved students, many of whom have gone on to earn scholarships, start ventures, or win national-level contests.

Adarsh also earned a full ₹30 lakh scholarship to study at the Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur.

Nathan Schultz, CEO and President of Chegg Inc., called Adarsh’s story a “powerful symbol of the courage and grit of young changemakers whose stories can inspire the world.”

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, added, “Adarsh’s journey is a reminder that education transforms lives by opening doors and creating opportunity.”

Adarsh now plans to invest the prize money into developing SkillzoX, an AI-based mentorship platform for rural youth, and launching the Ignite Fellowship, a global accelerator for student-led innovations.

Applicants for the 2025 Global Student Prize were evaluated on academic excellence, community service, creativity, resilience, and global citizenship.

The award, established in 2021, honors students making significant contributions to learning and society.