Introduction
Hi! I’m Krishna Chauhan, from Delhi, India. An important milestone I’m sharing about is the Aspire Leaders Program (ALP), created by Harvard Business School faculty. My journey into leadership began way earlier than I truly expected. I completed my schooling under the CBSE curriculum, which gives a holistic education and I was not just studying textbooks but also actively shaping my identity through service and leadership. As a Student Advisory Board Member and later the President of the Student Advisory Council, I learned that leadership isn’t about authority but rather about service and those early experiences gave me a foundation that later became my personal story. They planted the belief that no matter where you come from, leadership is possible when you are willing to take initiative. Today, this very foundation supports my work as a law student at the University School of Law and Legal Studies (USLLS), GGSIPU, while I simultaneously pursue my Company Secretary qualification. For me, both law and corporate governance are powerful avenues to shape policy and uphold fairness.
However, my story cannot be told only through academic goals and achievements. It has been deeply intertwined with service, community engagement, and learning from the ground up. My time volunteering with Basti Ki Pathshala, a community initiative to provide learning to underprivileged students, introduced me to children who had every reason to give up on education, but they still showed up everyday with hope in their eyes. At Muskurahat Foundation, I worked to bring joy and relief to the underprivileged, who rarely receive it. As a Shalini Fellow at Udayan Care, I found myself part of a movement that builds confidence in young women to dream bigger than society often allows. Each of these roles left me with a lasting truth that leadership is not always loud or glamorous, but it looks like persistence, patience, and quietly showing up for others.
Alongside this, I developed a love for debate and advocacy. Winning the first position at the NIRC (ICSI) regional moot and debate competition further pushed me to use my words and voice for the right reasons. Founding the CS Debating Society, the first of its kind at NIRC, was another milestone that taught me leadership often requires creating platforms where none exist. These experiences gave me both the skills to speak up and the courage to build. When I attended global forums like Accelerated Action for Change 2025 at FLAME University, Pune, I realized how important it is to connect local challenges with global conversations. That was when I began to see myself as someone preparing to contribute on a global scale.
What is the Aspire Leaders Program
This path eventually led me to the Aspire Leaders Program (ALP), created by Harvard Business School faculty. The program is a free, global, online leadership development program offering Harvard-designed courses, masterclasses with world-class educators, global networking, and career development resources to empower emerging leaders. Founded by the Aspire Institute, which was incubated at Harvard University, the program provides access to fully-funded online courses, professional coaching, and a peer community, alongside post-program opportunities like seed funding and alumni networks. When I first discovered and read about it, what attracted me to it was its philosophy. It didn’t ask for any marks, GPAs, resumes, or money. In our current world, opportunities are for those who have financial privilege or high academic scores but ALP was different. It believes that impact cannot be measured by financial privilege or academic excellence but by passion. They didn’t care about where you studied, how well you do, or how much money you are able to provide, but instead they were interested in who you are as a person, what you have done for others, what you want to create in this world, and how you want to leave your legacy behind.
Why ALP?
This philosophy meant a lot to me because very often, leadership programs and global opportunities only cater to a few. For example, those who have access to elite schools, polished CVs, or even resources to pay for these expensive applications. ALP deliberately broke those barriers. By removing costs and standardized metrics, it made space for diversity and true passion, such as leaders from small towns, first-generation students, grassroots changemakers, and young people who might otherwise be invisible on paper. Eligibility is based on being from a limited-income background and/or being a first-generation student to attend university from ages 18 to 29. The student also has to be a current undergraduate or a recent graduate. If you are planning to apply, the application process is the same for all, regardless of region. This shows the program’s inclusivity and that inclusivity is its greatest strength.
Admissions Process
The admissions process itself reflected their motto on inclusivity. There were essay questions and supplemental questions as part of the application process. It wasn’t about proving how much I had achieved in a conventional sense but about reflecting honestly. There were multiple essays that pushed me to dig deep, to think critically about my journey and my future. I spent about a week carefully writing them, mapping out my experiences in leadership, volunteering, and debating while weaving in the lessons I had learned from multiple certifications I achieved with Harvard Business School Online, University of Pennsylvania, Deloitte, and Tata. It was less about listing my achievements and more about showing how each experience shaped my identity and aspirations. I finally felt like I was being evaluated not as a set of scores but as a whole person.
When the acceptance email arrived, I sat in stunned silence before rereading it again and again. To be accepted into a global cohort of changemakers on my first attempt definitely felt surreal. However, beyond pride, there was gratitude. Gratitude for my story, shaped by service, persistence, and vision, was seen as worthy of standing alongside other global leaders, that programs like ALP are there to give voice to people who believe in impact but might not have had traditional privileges.
Reflecting back
Being part of ALP has been nothing short of transformative. It has reinforced my belief that leadership is about people and not positions. The absence of fees and marks strengthens this program because it ensures that the only requirement for entry is your ability to dream, to act, and to reflect. In the cohorts, I met passionate individuals from across continents whose stories broaden my worldview and challenge my assumptions. It was a reminder that the problems we face today are global, but the solutions must always start with people who care deeply at the local level.
Looking back, I wish more applicants understood that you don’t need a perfect CV, a flawless transcript, or a polished interview presence. What matters most is authenticity, persistence, and clarity. Leadership was never always about dramatic gestures, but it is often about small, consistent actions that ripple outward.
Tips
Here’s something important, which might prove to be a game-changer: the Aspire Leaders Program is a very competitive extracurricular. Thousands of applicants apply from around the world, and only a small percentage make it through. That’s why preparation matters and not in the traditional sense of test prep or polishing a CV, but in reflection, clarity, and storytelling.
If I had to give advice to anyone applying, it would be threefold:
Be authentic. Share your real story. Don’t try to craft an image of what you think Harvard wants to see. The keyword is “think”, don’t assume. The strength of your application lies in your honesty and your lived experiences.
Highlight leadership in action. Show how you have led and not just by holding a title, but by making an impact. It could be in your school, community, or even within your family. For example, being the eldest child and keeping the family together. Spin the story revolving this because what matters is how you showed initiative and responsibility.
Think global, act local. Programs like ALP want leaders who are rooted in their communities but also willing to look outward. The problems you solve in your own city or neighborhood can connect to global challenges if you have the vision to scale them.
When it comes to preparing your application, here are some practical steps that helped me and will definitely help future applicants:
Reflect deeply before writing. Spend time mapping your leadership journey. Think of stories that show your growth, your challenges, and your vision.
Structure your essays. Begin with a personal story, connect it to a lesson, and then explain how it shaped your goals. Clarity is more powerful than exaggeration.
Use your extracurriculars meaningfully. Volunteering, debates, and community projects all matter when you explain why they changed you, not just what you did.
Seek feedback, but keep your voice. Ask a mentor or friend to read your essays, but make sure they still sound like you. ALP values authenticity above polish.
Remember the bigger picture. This sets the accepted pool from the rejected pool. ALP is looking for changemakers. Show not just what you’ve done but what you want to do in the future and how this program fits into that vision.
Conclusion
For me, ALP has not been just another program but a milestone. It has given me tools, mentorship and most importantly a new perspective. It has shown me that leadership is not determined by where you start but by how far you are willing to go and who you are willing to bring along with you. As I continue my journey in law and corporate governance, I carry with me the lessons of inclusivity, authenticity, and the vision that ALP has instilled.
And I know this is only the beginning.
