Second-year BSc Management student Chayn Kohli is the Winner of the Student Award for excellence in gender equality 2022 and has been recognised for her work in India as well as at the University of Warwick. Her work began when she was just 14, working with underprivileged families in India educating women and girls in maths and English, as well as women’s health topics that are considered taboo, like menstruation and hygiene.
Since arriving at Warwick in 2021, Kohli has launched and managed many projects to improve gender equality and representation.
Kohli manages the blog and website for Warwick Women’s Career Society, provides educational opportunities for women on stigmatised topics and runs CV clinics at the university all to support women in male-dominated industries. As Vice President of the Indian National Student Association, Chayn works to create opportunities that are also typically lesser accessible to female populations including networking opportunities.
In 2019, following the Kashmir attack in which 40 members of the Indian paramilitary troops were killed, Chayn raised funds to sponsor the education of the daughters of two families that had been impacted and worked to try to secure employment opportunities for them.
This isn’t the first time Chayn Kohli has been recognised for her efforts toward improving gender equality. Before receiving the University of Warwick student award for excellence in gender equality, Kohli has been awarded an award for women’s empowerment in India, as well as an International Icon award.
Chayn Kohli said “The biggest challenge in India and Warwick remains common: awareness. Women are unaware of the opportunities they can monetize and do not understand the scale of their dreams. While in Warwick, awareness relates to understanding external opportunities related to finding jobs and building inclusivity in male-dominated sectors.”
“The biggest challenge in India remains internal awareness, as most women are not even allowed to dream. Parents earning low incomes would rather educate their sons than their daughters, and thus, women from such communities have less access to opportunities and need to convince not only employers but their families of their capabilities to achieve their dreams.”
“Growing up, my grandmother always told me that a dream is the most valuable gift you can give yourself as it adds purpose and meaning to your life. When I work with different women, I make them aware that they are allowed to dream, show them a path to their dream and encourage them; the smile I see on their face and the fire I see in their soul is the most rewarding part of my work. A single dream can change your life – giving you the grit to fight and giving your life the meaning, you always searched for.”
