Big news for PD Microfinance—officially a Kiva Students Chapter!  This has been months in the making, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this milestone with you all. Getting here wasn’t easy. It took hours of effort, including networking with Kiva’s CEO, Mr. Vishal Ghotge, and his team on LinkedIn.  Being able to connect directly with industry leaders was an incredible experience. Over the past few months, I worked on creating educational materials to introduce microfinance concepts to the students. I wanted to show my peers how small loans can make a big impact in helping alleviate poverty. The KIVA lending team has loaned $500 in less than 3 months - majority of it loaned by Frostbite's Frozen ice. All this work caught the attention of the Kiva team, and the KIVA student leader, Mr. Jacob Klein reached out to learn more about what we were doing. I had the chance to share our club’s progress and explain how PD Microfinance aligns with Kiva’s mission. From filling out for...

Ever since I was four, I dreamed of running my own lemonade or ice cream stand, picturing kids swarming my stall, their faces lighting up as I handed out ice-cold treats. The sheer thrill of being the one serving up happiness was like a sugar rush in itself. I think "The Duck Song" on youtube may have played a role in this childhood fantasy of mine. Fast forward a few years to 6th grade, when that dream finally turned into reality—thanks to the kind social entreprenuer teacher at my school who gave me my first entrepreneurial break @ the school's fall fest marketplace. Turned out, I was the only middle schooler to set up shop among the upperschoolers - well, apparently, I had plenty of syrup, ice, and entrepreneurial spirit! With my Amazon supplies of six 8-ounce syrup bottles and 150 cups, I thought I was set for the day. But three hours later, every last snow cone was gone! I had made $300 in a single afternoon, all with the help of two friends who shaved ice and counte...