Srijan Banik
“There are creative solutions to the problems around us, but we have to determine if they are worthwhile and if they truly matter to us,” says Srijan Banik, Founder and Coordinator of the Social Impact Lab (SIL) at the School of General Education, Brac University. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, in December 2022. He was a former Global Fellow at the Open Society University Network (OSUN) and a Visiting Fellow at the BARD Center for Civic Engagement. His recurrent exploration and tenacity strengthen his social contributions.
When he started his undergraduate voyage, he made a commitment that he would learn, observe the world, encounter new things, and perceive diverse viewpoints. He spent his initial semesters working on BracU Mongol-Tori, studying robotics, and stop-motion animation.
He then proceeded to do what he loved. In 2021, Srijan along with his teammate of Project KriShop were chosen for the Millennium Fellowship. Upon engaging he acknowledged that there was no particular platform at BracU where people could come up with project ideas and solve social issues. With his team, he proposed an abstract plan for such a platform to the former Vice Chancellor of BracU, Vincent Chang. In the meantime, another project named Alokdhenu, got selected for the OSUN Get Engaged Conference in Kyrgyzstan.
He began to take the requirement for such a platform intently, where students could acquire experience, guide, and lead through the projects. With his team he pitched for this to be a student-led organization to Student Life and School of GenEd of BracU. Eventually, their proposal got accepted and now it operates as an official unit at the university.
The first step is always the toughest. He shares the moving story of his father, who lost his right arm during the Liberation War. Though his father used to write with that hand, he slowly began writing with his left hand. Persisting through his travail, he excelled academically and accomplished things. This signifies a success story from which Srijan takes inspiration.
It was critical to establish SIL, as the campus community did not have any access to such a structure. He kept on documenting and experimenting with different approaches. His openness to new ideas and curiosity were the driving forces. His degree truly taught him to think critically about issues and solve them, utilizing his engineering knowledge to implement solutions in the social sector. People like him are indeed playing an active role in creating a sustainable future.
