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Stanford bound: An activist-academics’s journey to the top

Kshitij Kant spearheads non-profit body on boosting entrepreneurial ambitions of students around the world

Kshitij Kant, a recent graduate of Dubai International Academy, has overcome the odds of an extremely competitive admissions cycle to gain admission to Stanford University — among the most elite academic institutions in the world.

His path to this esteemed university is not only evidence of his exceptional academic achievement but also a reflection of his multifaceted extracurricular pursuits, steadfast commitment to social justice, and the priceless assistance of his mentors. But what really distinguishes Kshitij is his special fusion of academic curiosity and activistic zeal.

The non-profit organisation Kshitij founded and leads to this day, The Caspian Group, is a perfect illustration of this. Since its establishment three years ago, The Caspian Group has grown to become a dynamic organisation with a presence in six Mena, European, and South American countries. It cultivates a vibrant virtual community devoted to promoting economic dialogue and catalyses the entrepreneurial ambitions of students around the world. Through this endeavour, Kshitij has managed the publication of more than 500 articles on finance and economics and given vital advice to over ten youth-oriented startups. As he puts it, “I even received messages from community members telling me how I inspired them to pursue the dreams of creating their own business”.

Yet another of Kshitij’s projects, The Prosperity Project, saw him lead workshops for over 500 migrant laborers, partnering with numerous international welfare organizations in order to hold workshops on financial literacy, among other subjects surrounding economic self-improvement. His goal — ensuring that the workers that make Dubai who have contributed to Dubai’s meteoric rise have the knowledge and resources necessary to rise into the middle class of their respective countries upon the completion of their contracts in the UAE.

Another aspect of Kshitij’s success was research — a key aspect of the changing, and increasingly intense expectations of elite US universities. Spurred by his mentors at Hale Education Group, Kshitij focused his research on the changing climate of Dubai real estate post-Covid, in collaboration with the prestigious real estate consultants at Knight Frank. He was able to show how the UAE had effectively leveraged the same crisis that had cratered economies worldwide to attract unparalleled investment via capital flight via high vaccination rates and business-friendly lockdown measures. He was even able to predict the meteoric rise in Dubai’s real estate market that we are all bearing witness to first-hand in 2024.

Many students are under the impression that inflating their profile and extracurriculars to the extreme is the only route to success, but Kshitij and his counselors at Hale Education Group went for a rather unconventional path for his final activity—managing family finances. In a space where distinguishing oneself is near-impossible among thousands of applicants with perfect grades and test scores, Kshitij’s role in overseeing household investments, setting up bank transfers, and meticulously organising his family’s spending plan was one of many small details that helped him stand apart.

This meticulous, practiced approach to admissions counseling is what sets Hale Education—and the students it guides—apart from the competition. In an American admissions landscape where dwindling fractions of percentages of international students are offered acceptances each year, the holistic strategies offered by Hale counselors often make all the difference.