The Wardlaw+Hartridge School celebrated the establishment of The Dalal Entrepreneurship and Technology Program Endowment with a kickoff event on June 16 in the Oakwood Room. Mr. Nayan Dalal and Mrs. Bindu Dalal, who are funding the program, attended with their son, W+H alumnus Aditya Dalal ’14.
The purposes of The Dalal Entrepreneurship and Technology Program Endowment are many, including Upper School courses and related curricular enhancements in Lower and Middle School that will expand students’ creative problem solving, critical thinking, logical reasoning, business acumen and technological skill sets which can be used to solve real-world challenges.
As an entrepreneur who runs a successful home décor and textile company, Mr. Dalal is proud to support future entrepreneurs. He also embraces the power of education.
“College students are doing start-ups and many younger people are becoming entrepreneurs,” Mr. Dalal said. “We are living in the era of rapid technological advancement. “We believe that fostering the culture of technology innovation and entrepreneurship in the high school years can unlock the potential of young minds and empower them to drive meaningful changes.”
Dr. Corinna Crafton, Head of School, welcomed the guests, expressed her gratitude to the Dalal Family, and introduced Dr. Ayesha Sitlani, Board of Trustees President, who announced that Nayan Dalal has been named an Emeritus Trustee. Mr. Dalal served on the W+H Board of Trustees for more than a decade during the years in which his children, Aditya ’14, Akash ’16 and Anushka ’24, attended the school. Emeritus Trustee Sunil Shah of Edison, parent of W+H graduates Sonali ’16 and Suniti ’21, attended with his wife, Swati, and shared brief remarks thanking the Dalals for their generosity and support.
This new endowment will support scaling up current successful Upper School elective courses such as Genetics, Engineering Your World, Robotics, Pharma Ventures: Cancer Cell Research and Intervention Protocol Development, and Honors Research in Molecular Science and Technology. The endowment also will support faculty development, programs, equipment and materials. The Dalal Family Speaker Series will feature business professionals and scientists from around the country coming to meet W+H students annually on campus. W+H also offers an array of Computer Science courses up to the Advanced Placement level that will be enhanced with this endowment.
Dr. Susan Zusman, who teaches the courses in genetics and molecular science, and Dr. Christopher Seagle, who teaches the new Pharma Ventures class, shared presentations on the value of these exciting new fields of study. Ms. Sarah Honan, Director of College Counseling, spoke about how these programs will enable W+H to be distinctive from peer schools, help students pursue a meaningful passion and allow them to demonstrate the ability to succeed at the highest levels. Alumnus Greg Casagrande ’81, a former trustee, successful entrepreneur and CEO of MicroDreams, shared a short video message during which he expressed excitement and thanks to the Dalal Family for providing this new opportunity for W+H students.
Other guests at the event included W+H parent and trustee Dr. Harleen Kaur, W+H parent Laxmi Bhardwaj, and faculty and staff members Rudy Brandl ’83, Yasmyn Callender, Christine Cerminaro, Jayson Daniels, Sarah Honan, Bill Jenkins and Katie Vetland ’02.