Today we’d like to introduce you to Shraavya Pydisetti.
Hi Shraavya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself struggling with the implications that were inflicted due to the global shutdown of activities. I had planned to volunteer and take part in various research programs – all of which were taken away due to Covid. People were dying around me and the world was falling apart and I felt helpless. I couldn’t just stand by and watch what was happening – I felt like I had to do something, I had to find a way to help.
I brought together a group of students in the Westhaven subdivision (my neighborhood) and we all sat down together to take a minute to discuss ways that we could help our community during those difficult times. This discussion then led to a domino effect of projects and initiatives to make small changes. I soon realized that I was falling in love with this process of helping people and the world of service. I began to research and found out that I could start a non-profit so that I can bring together service-oriented students to make a lasting impact.
On June 19th, I made the decision to start a non-profit organization – Project Querencia. Querencia means “a place where you feel at home” which I felt fit perfectly with our team because this organization provided a home to students who want to make a change and a platform to openly express ways to do and be better. As our impact grew, more students became aware of our work and wanted to join. This allowed us to create a phenomenal team of individuals who found unique ways to better our world. We used our mission statement “to provide the opportunity to foster a lasting connection and impact the community through personal experiences, innovative service ideas, and a united youth body while inspiring leadership and commitment to the cause” as well as our core principles – impact, leadership, unity, commitment, and innovation as a guiding force to drive our work.
Project Querencia has completed over 55 projects to date helping over 4000 people with our members volunteering over 3500 hours. Some of our projects include providing over 4000 appreciation packages for essential workers (doctors, policemen, firefighters, teachers, and administrators), individuals in old age homes, janitors, lunch ladies, bus drives, and more. We’ve also held multiple food and clothing drives, made hand-cooked meals for the homeless in south Dallas, created handmade cards for cancer patients, held upcycle workshops, partnered with various organizations such as March of Dimes to help with resource packaging, made donations to the CISD special education department, taken part in initiatives to help the environment, led crossing guard initiatives to promote road safety, created videos in an attempt to raise awareness over various important topics, and more! Alongside that, we also host a tutoring service where our high school students have the opportunity to tutor kids over subjects and skills, they’re passionate about. The money we raise from these classes helps fund our initiatives while providing students with work experience.
Our team had started off as a group of 6 students from Coppell and has now expanded to over 165 members divided into 3 chapters – Coppell, Texas; Frisco, Texas; Edison, New Jersey as well as received recognition on NBCDFW, Fox 4 News, Dallas Express, The Coppell Gazette, Student Local Media, Circle Around, Shoutout DFW, and more. And this growth and where we are today is all because of the realization that change starts with us, and we’re the leaders of tomorrow. You shouldn’t wait around for someone else. That’s how you make the community and world better. I’m so proud to have seen this organization grow and become a beautiful family.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road. As a student-led organization, it’s extremely difficult to get people to believe in not only you but your mission. A lot of people told me that I was too young for this or that I’m not capable to lead a team. There were often times when we struggled to connect with members of the community and get a chance to make a change. We struggled initially with leadership and organization as well because when you’re trying to build something from scratch, you don’t really know the best ways to set everything up until you try. It’s a learning process and it’s a difficult process but I am eternally grateful for it because I have learned so much. It’s taught me lessons of how important it is to stay true to your goal and how perseverance is such a key lesson in any embarkment.
Can you tell our readers more about your personal experiences, hobbies, and the people who have guided you on your journey?
In project querencia, some of the things that we have done have completely changed my perspective on the world. I have learned so much about the struggles that so many people face which I feel like I turned a blind eye to until I started PQ and I want to do everything in my power to give back.
I honestly owe a lot of the growth of this organization to my parents. My mom has been one of my guiding pillars and has given me strength through the challenges I’ve faced in this organization. She’s really creative and a lot of the time, she helps me come up with innovative ways to attack the problem we’re addressing in the organization and gives me valuable advice. She always teaches me to instill a sense of hope within myself which has guided our mission and values a lot. I know that this is a cliche saying but she really has taught me how to be a better person and she has provided me with unconditional support through all of my endeavors. My dad has always been there to provide me with whatever resources I need to succeed in making a difference and to make me laugh when things get difficult. His optimism keeps me going and it teaches me a lot about how to look at the world. It is so difficult to keep growing something you started and I’m really glad that I never gave up on my Project Querencia dream – I owe it to my parents and I really hope that the work we’re doing makes them proud.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I consider myself a lucky person. I’m lucky to have a roof over my head and food on the table. I’m lucky enough to go to a school that supports my dreams and live in a community that has given me an endless amount of love and support. This is why I want to give back to the community and make a change. I want to do it because I know I’m fortunate enough to be able to do so. I am blessed to have so much handed to me and I believe that it is so important to use the resources that I have to help those who don’t have the same opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: projectquerencia.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project.querencia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectquerencia
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectQuerenc1
- Other: shraavyapydisetti.com
