One of the most distinctive aspects of the Stamps Scholarship is its openness. There is no prescribed course of study, no single definition of success. Stamps Scholars are encouraged to pursue excellence in whatever field calls to them. However, across disciplines and interests, they share a common thread: a commitment to noticing the needs of their communities and stepping up to meet those needs with creativity, empathy, and drive.
Georgia Tech Stamps President’s Scholar Esha Venkat (‘26) is doing just that. A third-year public policy major with concentrations in science, technology, energy, and environmental policy, as well as a minor in global development, Esha is motivated by questions about how policy can create lasting social impact – especially in the areas of food security and climate change. This passion shapes her work beyond the classroom as the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of NEST4US, a youth-led nonprofit she started with her sister Shreyaa when she was just ten years old.
The sisters’ commitment to service began early. Inspired by their mother, who often brought them to PTA volunteer events before sunrise, they discovered how meaningful it could be to brighten someone else’s day. “We’d be there at six in the morning helping with teachers’ breakfasts,” Esha recalls. “I was a kid and didn’t always want to go, but the joy of seeing people smile stuck with me.” That sense of purpose grew into a dream to help more young people experience the joy that comes with serving others.
Thus, they created NEST4US. What started small – with handwritten notes of encouragement and simple sandwich deliveries around the D.C. area – has since grown into one of the largest youth-led nonprofits in the world, engaging more than 9,000 volunteers from ages three to ninety. Its five programs – NEST Nurtures (zero hunger), NEST Tutors (quality education), NEST Kares (kindness), NEST Birthdays (birthdays-in-a-box), and NEST Inspires (leadership) – are united by the idea that anyone, anywhere, can make a difference. Most in-person efforts are based in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, but chapters and virtual projects now span the nation and globe.
Esha describes the name NEST4US as both literal and symbolic: “A nest is a home, a support system. And ‘for us’ means for everyone. No matter who you are or where you come from, you’re welcome in our nest.”
She still reflects on one of her most impactful moments from her early days with NEST4US. After several months of handing out food and Notes of Kindness downtown, a man approached her holding a thick stack of those notes. “He said he’d been collecting them, and when he was having a bad day, he read them to remind himself he wasn’t alone,” Esha says. “Before this moment, we always thought the food was the most impactful. But sometimes it’s the 30-second act of kindness that changes a day, and a life.”
While Esha studies in Atlanta, Shreyaa, who recently completed her master’s at Georgetown, leads in-person programs in Virginia. Esha frequently travels back to help coordinate large-scale service projects and community resource distributions that serve more than 200 families. She even practices her Spanish every week to better connect with those she serves. “Meeting people where they are matters,” she says.
The impact of NEST4US has also begun to ripple through the wider Stamps community. Virginia Tech Stamps Scholar Ayati Aggarwal (‘28) volunteers as one of the organization’s food-rescue leads, helping redistribute surplus food to neighbors in need. “Volunteering with NEST4US has been an incredibly meaningful part of my service journey,” said Aggarwal. “Being part of a team that was so dedicated to restoring dignity, warmth, and compassion to vulnerable communities truly left a lasting impact on me. Every interaction reminded me how small acts of kindness, when done with consistency and care, can make a powerful difference. ”
Joining the Stamps Scholars Program as a walk-on at Georgia Tech has been “an incredible whirlwind and a warm welcome.” She lights up when talking about her cohort – fellow Scholars pursuing “crazy cool” projects around the world, all motivated by the same belief that learning should lead to impact. Earlier this year, Stamps enrichment also helped her attend the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum in New York City, where she gave a talk about intergenerational approaches to global challenges.
Next year, Esha hopes to continue in Georgia Tech’s B.S./M.S. program in Public Policy, deepening her research on food and climate issues while growing NEST4US. Long-term, she envisions herself in an executive agency, while continuing to expand the nonprofit she’s already built. “Service is a big part of who I am,” she says. “I love that what I’m learning in class makes what I’m doing in the community stronger.”
Her approach to balance remains grounded. “People ask how I do it all,” she says with a laugh. “Honestly? I sleep. I go to the gym at 6 a.m. I make time for what aligns with my values – school, service, community. There is time; we just have to choose it.”
Esha hopes other Stamps Scholars will join her through NEST4US, whether by tutoring, writing Notes of Kindness, or helping lead local service projects. “Doing something nice for someone else can be a form of self-care,” she says. “I hope people look at our work and think, If she can do it, so can I.”
Opportunities Ahead: Alumni Q&A: Impact-Driven Careers Across the Nonprofit Sector; Thursday, Jan. 29 at 6:00 PM ET on Zoom
Scholars, are you interested in impact-driven careers – but not sure what that actually looks like?
This Q&A brings together Stamps alumni working across a range of mission-driven roles, including nonprofit tech and education, grassroots community organizing, health equity, and policy-focused nonprofit leadership.
Panelists will talk openly about how they got where they are, what surprised them along the way, and the real-world tradeoffs of different impact models.
There will be plenty of time for student questions.
If you’re curious about nonprofit work, this conversation is for you.
Register here.