In November 2022, we celebrated a big milestone for the organization. We hosted our first-ever Paliwal Club of 100 Meeting, bringing together our Paliwal Club of 100 Scholarship recipients for an opportunity to meet the family that has invested in their educational careers and dreams. 

In 2019, 1,000 Dreams Fund partnered with the Ila and Dinesh Paliwal Foundation to launch the Paliwal Club of 100, a scholarship initiative aimed at fueling the dreams of talented women in need who aspire to careers in the S.T.E.A.M. and music fields.

Over the next 10 years, students will annually be able to apply to our two Paliwal Club of 100 Funds:

• Paliwal Club of 100 STEAM Scholars Fund that will fund the dreams of 100 budding leaders in “S.T.E.A.M.” fields — science, tech, engineering, arts and math.
• Paliwal Club of 100 Music Scholars Fund that will fund the dreams of 100 talented women pursuing careers in the music industry – whether as artists, performers, songwriters, producers, or in business.

All Paliwal Club of 100 Scholars aim to set the standard in their respective fields — ones in which women are still underrepresented.

At our Paliwal Club of 100 meeting, a group of our Paliwal Club of 100 Scholars from all across the country were hosted by the Paliwal Family at The University Club of New York in NYC. Here are some of our favorite photos from the event:

It was an invaluable time for learning, connection, and fun with a number of guest speakers, a panel discussion, and a full group Q&A session along with networking and mentorship.

Christie Garton, 1,000 Dreams Fund founder and CEO, opened the evening with a welcome and short background about the Paliwal Club of 100.

Then, we heard from the accomplished Dinesh Paliwal (Partner, KKR; Chairman, Marelli; Director, Nestle; Lead Independent Director, Raytheon Technologies; Trustee Miami University), who shared opening remarks and inspirational words with the entire group.

Next, our panel discussion featured ILA Paliwal, a vocalist, songwriter, and producer, along with Shriya Paliwal who is Vice President of Platform Solutions at Goldman Sachs and Sophia Teixeira who serves as Managing Director at LOOP, a global digital marketing agency.

Learn more about our Paliwal Club of 100 Scholarship Program and how we are fueling the dreams of women in S.T.E.A.M. and Music here!