In today's podcast, it's actually my story. And so is the title. I am Kapil Gupta, the founder of Study Abroad Academy. I am on a mission to mentor 100,000 high school students and help them realize their dream of studying in the best universities of the world and have happy and successful careers. But was I always like this? And the answer is a big no. Now let me take you down my memory lane. It all began back when I was in school, one of the most prestigious schools in Delhi, Springdale's Public School. I was getting the best education, so I began dreaming of continuing with this trend in my life. I graduated from Delhi University, and that was one more dream come true. And now the stage was set for the final destination. I wanted to pursue my postgraduation in the USA, a dream that people aspire towards even today. And I'm talking about the 90s. And then came the shocker. Simply put, I couldn't afford it. Although my father was employed with the times of India, in no way could he afford the expense of my education there. And then, miraculously, a distant relative living in the United States visited India and offered to help me out. He offered to fund my education by extending a loan to me that I could pay back after the completion of my studies. It seemed my dream was back on track. I began researching the universities and finally selected one. I began preparing for the eligibility exams and cleared them too. And thereafter I applied for admission to the new to the university of my choice and soon received my admission confirmation letter. I was in cloud nine. Only one hurdle was yet to be overcome, and that was the visa. And to my utter disappointment, I was refused a visa on the grounds that my parents were not financially sound. My world came crashing down and I was left inconsolable and embarrassed. I was like I had lost the will to live. My family, and especially my father, was a pillar of strength during that time. He helped me recover, and I continued my teaching journey here in Delhi. A couple of years down that road, and I could observe that students were very vulnerable, and especially when it came to career choices. They were young, energetic, and had big dreams, but no concrete roadmap to achieve them. And I've always believed that I was blessed in that my students trusted me completely and shared their problems with me. And I I also did my best to help them out. Soon I was more of a career coach to them just than just a teacher. And this was like my second beginning, a career coach. I was selected by a leading career counseling company as their associate counselor for Delhi NCR region. I was trained and given full support by their team. I was helping students understand their core competences and weaknesses. I guided them at polishing their strengths and working on their weaknesses. And as a result, my students had clarity about their careers and could put their best foot forward. I was mentoring them for availing study abroad opportunities. However, these were mainly high-ticket consultations, meaning students from affluent families were taking this step. So I had always been known as a good strategist. So I was doing this successfully. Even so, there was another awakening awaiting me. There were a few students who wished to go abroad for higher studies, but they belonged to middle class background. They had dreams, but no path to achieve them. It was like I was revisiting my own past. As time passed, I could see it was a prevailing trend, and I was able to relate to it. And as you all know, admissions have always been very difficult in India. The percentages are too high. And we all know universities like Delhi University have nearly 100% eligibility criteria. And on the other hand, there's a gap of demand and supply. The seats in the colleges are just not enough to accommodate all students. Students have opportunities abroad, but they don't know how to avail them. Some students do try to make use of the internet, but it's not enough. Sometimes they end up in the wrong hands. There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about the complete and correct procedure. Consequently, they lose out on big opportunities and chances of having happy careers. Over the years, I had exposed myself to all the processes and procedures. I had this belief that I could mentor them and help them realize their dream. And just this thought gave me so much satisfaction that I set out and formed Study Abroad Academy. Since then, I have groomed thousands of students to realize their dream by helping them get admission in various universities around the world. It's like payback time. I will not let anyone fail in his or her endeavor just because of lack of proper guidance and information. And with over 30 years of my experience with teaching and more than 10 years of experience counseling, I know I can get them placed in the best universities worldwide and give them happy careers. I hope you find my story inspiring and will motivate you to connect with me. If yes, please subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcast to get notified. All my podcasts are around 10 to 15 minutes, so they are short and crispy. Please share a 5-star review. And if you are a part of my community, please share the learnings below. If you wish to reach out to me at Apilkupta, your study abroad expert, join my study advice on Facebook and Instagram channel.