How you do anything is how you do everything. How you approach any aspect of your life is how you end up approaching all aspects of your life. This applies across the board, whether it be your career, your dreams, your passions, or your personal life.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Manish Polavarapu.
Manish Polavarapu is a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, working on the Global Payments Strategy & Investment Governance team within the Commercial Investment Bank (CIB). He oversees a multi-billion portfolio of payment platforms & products by leading global enterprise transformation, portfolio optimization, and business intelligence functions. By night, he is an avid philanthropist, serving as the Founder & President of the Fortitude Global Foundation — a 501c3 global non-profit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged children access educational resources and scholarships. He also served as the youth chair for TANA, the largest Indo-American organization in North America, where he addressed the social, cultural, and educational needs for South Asian (Telugu) communities worldwide.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Certainly! I was born in Hyderabad, India, but came to the United States when I was 4 years old. My mother moved to the United States when she was 26 and brought over my older brother and I when we were toddlers. Growing up with a single mother in a new country was a culture shock to say the very least for the three of us. However, despite being miles from India, my mother made it a point that we embraced our culture. We grew up in New Jersey, where we learned several Indian art forms including violin, drums, and classical dance — eventually performing and ranking globally. Wanting to experience a change, my studies took me to Boston University where I was exposed to a diverse array of people from dozens of cultures and backgrounds.
You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
Education is the biggest factor linked to global poverty. Over 260 million children across the world either lack or do not have access to an education. Our mission and vision is to change that — one school and one child at a time. We live in a complicated world filled with many problems, often taking for granted things that are considered normal, but are in fact luxuries for others. Our organization sees education as a fundamental birthright that every child in the world should have access to.
Education is the foundation upon which life is built. Millions of children globally cannot attend school because they live on less than $1.90 a day. The only antidote to poverty is opportunity and our organization looks to provide unprivileged children with one.
We believe there are four pillars that comprise a quality education — transportation, technology, resources, and infrastructure. We work closely with smaller-tier resource and partner organizations that have strong communal roots to attain and provide different components of these four pillars (e.g. classroom builds, computer labs, school buses, etc.) to children in need across five countries (India, Peru, Bangladesh, Kenya, and USA).
Fortitude at its heart, is a commitment to democratizing education and empowering the underprivileged with opportunities to learn and flourish. In doing so, we aim to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
Since I was a kid, I always loved to help people. Whether it was a friend in need or a family member, I wouldn’t hesitate to help someone that needed help. My mentor once asked me what my passion was in life and what I would do if I couldn’t take a single penny for profit. When I thought about it, I realized that it was philanthropy and serving the underprivileged. I think life is like a set of cards and everyone is dealt a hand. Some are very fortunate, while many are born into very unfortunate circumstances. I always asked and thought to myself — if fate had our roles reversed and we were in their position, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone help us?
During the pandemic, many schools shut down and children struggled to get into school due to a lack of funding. I came to learn of a refugee student named Akuout who was looking to attend university in Kenya. She had great test scores and grades, but lacked funds for admission. Without thinking twice, I donated the fees that covered her full board, tuition, transportation, and food. In that moment, I think the feeling that came with helping someone in need and making a difference was priceless.
I knew that I wanted this feeling for life. With that, I gave my best friend from college a call. I pitched the idea of starting a 501c3 global non-profit to help children in need. He didn’t think twice and joined my side. With that, the Fortitude Global Foundation was born to help unprivileged children access educational resources and scholarships.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough. Oftentimes, the biggest limiting factor that prevents so many people from pursuing their dreams is fear or doubt. Nobody was more doubtful than me when I decided to start Fortitude.
However, I think my journey from contractor to VP was probably the underlying story and foundation, with the 2020 pandemic being the final trigger. After I left pre-med in college, I worked a few contract jobs before entering banking. The transition was rough given the career switch, but a do-or-die mentality enabled me to figure it out and rise to becoming the Bank of New York’s youngest Vice President.
During this journey, I would always repeat the word ‘Fortitude’ to myself. Interestingly enough, life came full-circle, as that was the name I chose to give the NGO. As schools shut down all over the world and funds were scarce, I saw it as an opportunity and moment to step into the calling I always had and start the Fortitude Global Foundation.
I also recall in 2020 the tragic passing of NBA legend and basketball player Kobe Bryant. Not only was he one of my favorite athletes, but my biggest source of inspiration. Known for his legendary work ethic, or the “Mamba Mentality”, his approach to the game and life was to get better every single day and conquer any challenge that came his way.
These occurrences were the catalysts for me to take the leap of faith and step and start Fortitude. The word Fortitude in and of itself means strength and courage amidst pain or adversity. Through our foundation’s work, our mission is to uplift schoolchildren and give them the Fortitude to aspire and inspire.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Before I started my organization, I studied dozens of NGOs that I admired and resonated with. Everything from their mission statements to their brand colors were worth noting as it greatly informed a lot of the decisions in building the Fortitude brand and theory of change.
As a generation, we also have a gift known as the internet that can help anyone find an answer at the tip of their fingers. I was able to research key components across legal, compliance, social media, and business functions to build project plans and begin executing. Once I understood the basic tenets of each pillar I was able to start crafting mission statements, branding, the website, and social media channels. There’s never a right time to start. It begins with taking the first step and the rest falls into place and builds on itself.
I would also say it was essential that the people I began this journey with were onboard. I decided that we would not take a penny from the NGO and that we would retain a 100% model where all proceeds go straight to schoolchildren and projects. Fortunately for me, my co-founder joined my side with nothing but a desire to contribute to the cause and help those in need.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
When we first began Fortitude, we knew that we needed to be different in order to get attention and traction. Part of our mission was to get younger generations involved and excited about philanthropy, as it can sometimes be perceived as a boring and mundane subject.
To counter this, we designed sleek branding we integrated across our platforms and socials (imagine if NIKE met a Non-Profit). Soon enough, we crafted merchandise that some early followers sported around the gym and other social outlets. Funnily enough, dozens of people were approaching them asking what brand they were wearing and where they could buy the shirts. They had to explain that it was not a clothing brand but rather a Non-Profit, which spiked even further curiosity from the public!
We knew we were onto something with the concept, so the team started releasing motivational reels and content of famous celebrities, athletes, and icons on the premise of chasing one’s dreams with fortitude. Within a month, our following grew from a few dozen to a couple thousand, with a few celebrities and business icons liking our page! That momentum and encouragement was everything to us and kept us inspired to keep inspiring others.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don’t believe there is such a thing as failure, only opportunity. However, I always thought of mistakes as the best teachers as they were merely lessons in disguise.
In our second year, we started holding charity events and threw our first-ever benefit concert where we hosted a popular South Indian boy band named ‘Capricio.’ in New Jersey. It was a sold out event, with hundreds of folks calling us till the very last minute to get tickets to the show! The show kicked off and the crowd could not be more excited as the room was electric with energy.. During halftime, the band had a break and our team had a few minutes to talk about our organization on stage.
However, the second we got on stage, the deck we had up on screen refused to flip and the crowd was restless. They began heckling and chanting the band’s name, demanding them back on stage. Flustered, but relentless, I grabbed the mike and insisted they give us 2 minutes to voice-over and thank the sponsor of the event. With that, I quickly thanked the audience and let them know that every ticket that was purchased was going towards helping a student in need in India and that their support that night helped make a difference. The audience burst into cheers as we got our message across, and the team proceeded to hop off stage before a tomato could be thrown at us.
Lesson learned? Sometimes, less is more and not every situation needs a fancy deck. Be prompt and speak from your heart.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
When I first came up with the idea for Fortitude, I was unsure of where it would go and whether to start or not. A mentor of mine sat me down and told me, “there is nothing to fear but fear itself. The biggest thing that holds people back in life is fear and doubt. There are graveyards full of people who told themselves they would start tomorrow. Worst thing that happens is that you fail and you try again. Most people won’t even try.” I think that was all I needed to hear to drop any limiting beliefs or mental blocks I had and take that first step. Since starting Fortitude, that same mentor applauds louder than anyone else and has a smile ear to ear seeing the impact we are making globally.
Fortunately, I was blessed to have an entire village of friends and family that also supported and loved our mission. Once they saw us making waves, they rushed to pour in donations, support, and resources to amplify our footprint and impact. That initial spark and encouragement was everything in providing us momentum to hit the ground running.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I started off Fortitude by impacting poorer communities in foreign countries where children could not afford education. Deep down, my heart always yearned to make an impact in my home country, India. I think the universe may have heard my wish, as I was introduced to a very kind lady who came to learn of the work we were doing with our foundation and was deeply moved. With her help, Fortitude was able to establish a footprint in India and help hundreds of schoolchildren across several projects. These projects included the build of two dining hall shelters for students to study and eat in, and the distribution of deskits ( backpacks that convert into make-shift desks) to children in Vijayawada, India.
For someone to be so moved by our cause and resonate with our mission to a point they helped spearhead and champion these projects was truly a priceless feeling for us. Many times, you just never know who may be watching or following your work. As long as you stay true to the cause, I’ve come to realize the rest falls into place with the right people and communities aligning themselves to you.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Ban child labor. Child labor is a huge issue in foreign countries where families will enlist their children to work in the field and factories. This prevents them from attending school and acquiring a proper education. If governments worked to ban child labor, it would alleviate pressures and redirect children to attend school and secure a job to support their families and communities.
Use tax dollars or capital reserves to help educate children in their country. So many eastern countries have established Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) — state-owned investment funds derived from pools of surplus capital reserves. These SWFs use these reserves to invest in various financial assets and alternative investments across the globe. If nations could allocate some of that capital to establishing an education pool so that their citizens could thrive and become literate, imagine where their economies would be in due time.
Invest in infrastructure. In addition to child labor, detriments preventing children from attending school include unsafe roads and poorly built schools. Revamping roads to ensure safe travel and strengthening school foundations to withstand climate conditions will play a significant role in encouraging children to enlist and return to school.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. So many people in life are afraid to start because they do not think they have the fortitude or the tools to become successful. Whether it be your career, a business idea, or your passion, all you have to do is take the first step and start. When I left pre-med my senior year of college, I was terrified and had no clue what the next step was. With no business degree, I was competing with finance majors with impressive accomplishments on their resumes. My first job was at American Express as a contractor. Even though it wasn’t a full-time role, I embraced it and took on the challenge knowing it would be the first step and foundation to a career. In that first role, I was able to pick up core skills and a knowledge base that helped me break into Finance. I’ll never forget the day I got the call informing me I was promoted to the Bank of New York’s youngest Vice President. If you told Manish in college that he would accomplish that in a few years, he would have called you crazy. The first contract at AMEX followed by the second one at Microsoft were pivotal in allowing me to gain exposure and begin my career in Financial Services. As they say, you win your trophies in practice and pick them up at championships.
- You don’t choose your passion, your passion chooses you. In life, everyone has a calling. I think mine is philanthropy. Growing up, I had hobbies and was interested in things like sports, business, and entertainment. However, I don’t think any of those were actually my passions. Inherently, I was always fond of helping others. It just came so naturally and effortlessly that I would go out of my way to be of service to those in and outside of my community. The series of events that unfolded into forming the Fortitude Global Foundation happened so naturally and effortlessly that I never viewed it as a task or business. I felt my heartstrings tug with every child’s life we were able to impact and that feeling, made me want to continue making an impact for life. Thus, I firmly believe that people’s passion finds them, not the other way around.
- How you do anything is how you do everything. How you approach any aspect of your life is how you end up approaching all aspects of your life. This applies across the board, whether it be your career, your dreams, your passions, or your personal life.
- Fail quick and fail fast. One of my mentors told me an expression one day that I initially didn’t understand. When I told them I was feeling stuck and not making enough traction as I hoped, they said to “fail quick and fail fast.” Naturally, I was perplexed and questioned the meaning behind the principle. They explained that failure is common and inevitable, but to embrace it upfront rather. I recall that being a lightbulb moment and a shift in my mindset in how I approached many things in life. When certain paths or strategies didn’t pan out with Fortitude, I learned to accept the result and pivot fast. I applied the same philosophy to my career and the result was a game-changing.
- The more hands you shake, the more money you make (or in our case — raise). The power and importance of relationships cannot be emphasized enough in business and philanthropy. Networking will get you through doors a degree cannot. Colleges and universities do not not emphasize the art and skill of networking enough. The pandemic made it hard to network in-person, but that didn’t stop our team from meeting people. I was introduced to a tool called Lunch Club, a networking platform that allowed people across the world from various interests and industries to connect online. I made it a point to meet at least three people a week on Lunchclub. Soon enough, I was able to make dozens of genuine connections, some which turned into lasting partnerships for Fortitude. Once the pandemic ended, all boundaries were removed and the team went full steam with attending meetups and hosting webinars with other philanthropic enthusiasts from the tr-state, country, and internationally. These networking events opened up dozens of doors for us financially, socially, and gave us significant mileage as an organization in raising thousands of dollars and impacting thousands of children.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Ultimately, I believe that the purpose of life is to leave the world a better place than how we entered it. What we do in life, can echo in eternity. Many people get caught up in the notion that they may not be wealthy enough to make an impact. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. One of the philosophies of our NGO is by giving a little, one can change a lot. Education is a crisis that needs to be addressed by helping one child at a time. A few dollars go a long way in changing someone’s life, especially in foreign countries where the dollar has a significant weight/impact when converted to local currency.
We as a generation are so blessed with resources and technology. The power to make a difference and an impact is a lot easier than one may imagine. I urge my fellow peers and citizens to take up a cause and make a difference in one person’s life, no matter how big or small the gesture. One who achieves victory is a man, but one who can spread it to all is superman.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I have always admired and looked up to Mark Cuban. He is a legendary entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and most important — human being. His philosophy on business and life deeply resonates with me and inspires me to push the boundaries on what it takes to become successful. I recall reading his book, ‘How to win at the sport of business.’ The lessons and perspectives he shares have shaped my philosophies to this very day. Some of his principles that stuck with me:
- The only thing you can control in life is effort
- Never have the same skill set as your partner
- Be obsessed with your customer so they can become obsessed with you
- Sweat equity is the best equity
Funnily enough, Mark used to also work for the Bank of New York Mellon before getting fired. Turns out, that was the exact moment he seized as an opportunity to start his own company. As Mark always said, ‘You only need to be right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you got.’
How can our readers follow you online?
@fortitudeglobal on Instagram
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Manish Polavarapu of JPMorgan Chase Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.