Imphal: STEP North-East was founded in November 2020 with an aim to bridge the educational and opportunity gap between urban and rural areas in North-East India and to make quality education accessible even to the remotest part of North-East. STEP Fellowship was birthed during the second wave of corona in 2021 to train underserved girls with 21st century work skills. It is a six months merit employability program.
The first batch of STEP Fellowship began in September 2021.
The ceremony today celebrates the graduation of ten fellows from all over Manipur. The founder and director of STEP North-East, Worrin Muivah remarked, “After six months of intense training and mentorship from the best faculty all over the world, they are finally graduating. It feels so surreal to finally see an idea germinate into something so tangible and I still have to pinch myself to see if this is happening.”
The program commenced at 11:30am with a welcome note from the founder and director, STEP North-East. This was followed by welcoming the graduates, and handing out their certificates. Alek Muivah, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West, was the chief guest of the program and Asung Pharung was the guest of honour.
Each fellow gave a speech sharing their experience at the fellowship and thanked the faculty and everyone involved for an incredible six months of learning and unlearning.
They recounted the challenges and criticisms they received from peers and friends who were skeptical about the fellowship, as it was still a very new concept in the region.
The fellows expressed how they can now confidently prove their doubters wrong after this fellowship experience. They also shared how the fellowship has made them more confident individuals and improved their critical thinking abilities.
This was followed by a speech from the chief guest encouraging the fellows to excel in their skills, and be people of virtue. The program ended on a cheerful note with a closing prayer followed by lunch.
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