​Fulfilling the Expectations for the Capstone Project

The India Impact will fulfill the expectations from the SELF Program and provide a rewarding, once-in-a-lifetime experience that benefits both involved Fellows and the KU School of Engineering. Overseas company visits will provide a global perspective of business that cannot be found in America while helping each individual Fellow to discover and expand upon his or her own interests. Fellows will sharpen their entrepreneurial, leadership, and management skills while planning and implementing their entire Capstone experience. They will build communication and interpersonal skills through the interaction and coordination with Indian professionals, students, and citizens. In addition to immersing them in a new environment unlike anything experienced in the United States, The India Impact will give Fellows the opportunity to interact with the unique culture of India to gain valuable international communication skills. Fellows, who already know how to communicate, lead, and build in America, will now be given the opportunity to do the same in an environment completely new to them. The experience will provide a “springboard” for Fellows as they enter the professional workplace, offering a perspective that will stretch their minds, innovation, and creativity further than that of an employee not having completed such a project. The Capstone experience will provide significant benefits for the KU School of Engineering and the Lawrence community. Upon the Fellows’ return from India, they will reach out to students in Lawrence to promote STEM fields, and will hold a lecture series to inspire current engineering students to diversify their experience before graduation. The project will go beyond the SELF Program goals to bring the experience of the SELF Fellows to the rest of the University of Kansas School of Engineering through a study abroad program.