A young star shining bright in the UAE sky

Inspired by the leadership of Dubai, teenager Simran Vedvyas continues to make a difference through global efforts

How much could you possibly achieve by the age of 16? Good grades at school, medals in sports and extracurricular activities, slight dabbling in social work, courtesy of school efforts? What else? Maybe, an active social circuit? Well, that's the usual state of affairs with a lot of kids at school.
But last month I chanced upon a petition of sorts floating on LinkedIn about a 16-year-old from Universal American School vying for the Emirates Woman of the Year 2015 award in the Young Achievers category. And I was amazed, to say the least.
Simran Vedvyas, an Indian living in Dubai, is still in school, but has a lengthier resume than most of us owing largely to the accolades, rewards and recognition she has accumulated over the past decade. Her achievements range from being the youngest of six torchbearers chosen from the UAE for the London Olympic Games 2012 to winning five National Academic Distinction Awards in consecutive years. She was among the young voices featured on MTV Voices' billboard in Time Square New York city for 100 hours every 8 minutes in 2013, and has a number of international accolades under her belt, including John Muir Youth Environmental Conservation Award, Princess Diana International Award in 2014, Splash 'Heart of Gold' 2015 as an unsung hero for humanitarian commitments. She is now one of the nominees for the Emirates Woman of the Year 2015 award in the Young Achievers category, and is the youngest in this category too.
"The Woman of the Year award embodies the qualities of strength, grace and glamour; qualities that I believe a powerful woman hones. I am truly humbled to have reached this far in the process and it would mean a lot if I was the recipient this year. I have been recognised through many awards internationally, but when you are appreciated at home in your element, that's the best feeling in the world," she says.
Simran describes herself as self-motivated and likes to 'dream large and achieve big'. At the age of seven, she founded SynergY, an NGO youth group, to work around environment and conservation. Today, she leads the group and inspires her family and friends to be a part of her efforts and make a difference in every little way possible. Her mother, Swati Vedvyas, describes her as a sensitive and caring person, who is always ready to help the needy.
"Simran has been involved with community service since she was seven years old. She would save up her pocket money to buy toys for the unprivileged, and donate her clothes and shoes for the needy. She has been visiting charities and destitute centres in India for almost eight years now. She has initiated Convoy to Feed in Dubai - a mission through which her friends and family distribute food to labourers during Ramadan."
Her list of achievements is unending. In 2011, she collected 3,000 pairs of shoes for diabetic patients in Africa and Middle East that were distributed through US-aided AMPATH. A strong believer of youth power, she promotes equality and opportunity for all. Simran has travelled to 30 countries attending over 50 high-level and recognised global conferences, forums and events as speaker, panelist and a youth delegate. Some of these include events hosted by the United Nations.
Simran has also been commemorated with the 'Puruskar' - a National level award in India for being Paryavaranmitra (Leader for Change); shortlisted as Best Student, International Eco Hero award US; won the first prize at Global Youth for Environment Forum by Samsung Engineering and Korea Green Foundation, among many other global recognitions for her contribution to the environment, conservation and sustainability. After school, she plans to study medicine and also carry the baton of an environmentalist.
If you would like to support her dreams, vote for her on www.emirateswoman.com/awards/ and help her add another jewel to her shining crown of achievements.
We wish Simran and all nominees a very best of luck!
suneeti@khaleejtimes.com