While isolated during a global pandemic, it can often seem as though there are few opportunities to help the community. However, some Gunn students have taken advantage of their free time to start their own volunteer initiatives, such as The Big Sister’s Project, a nonprofit founded by senior Anika Lakhani offering a variety of free tools for young women to help them pursue social entrepreneurship.

Lakhani was inspired by powerful women in her own life, and wanted to take action to make sure young women had the tools they needed to succeed in business. “The reason that I founded The Big Sister’s Project was because I was inspired by the women in my community,” she said. “I thought that there should be some sort of way to pay that inspiration forward, and spread it to other women as well.”

Over the summer, The Big Sister’s Project held a ten-week program to teach young women about social entrepreneurship and business. “During the summer course, each of the 60 participants had the opportunity to create their own social entrepreneurship ventures,” Lakhani said. “This might be their own charity, or their own business.”

Even with all of the things that The Big Sister’s Project as an organization has accomplished, Lakhani is looking towards the future. She hopes that everyone involved with the project can learn to be aware of the world’s problems, and think of new ways to overcome them. “I have eight students of my own whom I tutored this summer, and, I’m just constantly instilling in them, ‘yes we’re teaching business here, but we’re also hoping to inspire you to look at social change as well,’” she said.