This week, an IDS board member received a letter of appreciation from Jayant Hardikar, founder of the Himalayan Education Foundation (HEF), announcing that the Himalayan Inter-College has won top honors in the state of Uttarakhand, placing first of 1,200 schools. In addition, one of their scholarship students was ranked among the top 25 students in the state! “This is a huge honor,” says Prakash Karki, director of the school. Just a few years ago, a university education was out of reach for most young people in Uttarakhand; most girls did not even finish high school. Of the first four graduating classes of the Himalayan Inter-College, 85% of the students went on to university; they are majoring in a variety of subjects, but approximately 60% are pursuing careers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) and medicine. IDS has been a HEF partner for years. Read more about HEF and IDS’ support here. Read the latest blog post from Jayant Hardikar containing more details about the Inter-College’s achievements here.