With support from the Goa-based PACT Foundation, three young women from Goa set out on a journey that was bigger than a trip to London. It was a moment that carried a reminder that Goa's youth deserve global platforms where their ideas can grow.
This was a fully funded PACT Foundation scholarship, awarded after a state-wide competition involving more than 20 colleges and hundreds of students, including a final personal interview round with a global jury.
The Three Selected Scholars
- Andrea Cardoso — Rosary College of Commerce & Arts
- Raisa Mariette Pinto — V.M. Salgaocar College of Law
- Sumaiya Khan — St Xavier's College
The young delegates represented Goa at the QS ImpACT Youth Summit 2025 from 30th November to 1st December, joining youth and students from across the world to explore how AI and sustainability can shape a better future.
Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, founder of PACT Foundation and a global leader at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, led this three-member youth delegation. This initiative aimed to give young Goans a global platform to learn, collaborate, and contribute to solutions at the intersection of sustainability, climate action, and artificial intelligence.
Before their departure, the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Goa conveyed his best wishes to the delegation, recognising their role in carrying Goa's voice to the world and applauding the Foundation's efforts to open international opportunities for young Goans.
Day 1 — Imperial College London
Their first day set the tone. The AI for Impact Challenge pushed them to collaborate with peers from different cultures and build on-the-spot solutions to real sustainability problems. They spent the day problem-solving, pitching, learning from experts, and discovering how rapidly ideas evolve when diverse minds come together.
Day two at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster deepened the experience. The Sustainability Impact Hackathon exposed them to global case studies, data, and policy thinking. They worked in fast teams, explored how AI aligns with the UN SDGs, and presented ideas on reducing inequalities, strengthening climate resilience, and improving community well-being.
Andrea's group won the Impact Pitch Challenge under SDG 10 — a proud moment for Goa and for her own journey as a young sustainability innovator.
Day-wise Itinerary
- 29th Nov Arrival in London. Cultural visit to Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London tour.
- 30th Nov AI for ImpACT Hackathon at Imperial College.
- 1st Dec QS Youth ImpACT Summit at Queen Elizabeth II Convention Centre.
- 2nd Dec Cultural visits and return to Goa.
“We brought these three young Goans to London to learn from global practice in sustainability, climate action and AI. Standing here today with Andrea, Raisa and Sumaiya, you see exactly why this matters. Their presence is a quiet but powerful reminder of what India can achieve when it invests in its young people – and especially its young women. This is the work we are committed to in Goa: building people who will shape India's future. India will not only grow in the years ahead; it will lead. And as India rises, the Global South will rise with it.”
— Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, Founder, PACT Foundation
Scholars' Reflections
Andrea Cardoso
“The PACT Foundation and QS ImpACT Sustainability and AI Summit was a valuable learning experience that broadened my perspective on innovation, leadership, and community impact as I got a chance to connect and network with different youth leaders from around the world. I learned how artificial intelligence can be effectively aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to create meaningful social change. The sessions, discussions, and live pitch challenge strengthened my understanding of teamwork, communication, and problem-solving in a multicultural environment and also the insightful speeches given by top delegates on AI and sustainability helped me in getting a deeper understanding about the concept and various ways I can use it in developing my sustainability ideas into reality. I also won the live Impact Pitch Challenge under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), which boosted my confidence and validated the impact of my ideas. The summit highlighted the importance of youth empowerment, personal development, and responsible innovation, motivating me to pursue purpose-driven and inclusive projects for sustainable development in Goa.”
Sumaiya Khan
“I have had the wonderful opportunity of attaining the PACT Scholarship and attending the QS ImpACT Youth Summit 2025 held in London. My experience at this Summit was incomparable to any other as the sheer milieu of people from diverse backgrounds, various countries, professions and organisations, gave me a chance to experience the best of the globalised world. I learnt about the inter dynamic relationship between AI and humans as well as our dependency on a sustainable environment. I learnt to converse and be confident when speaking to people from different countries and finding common ground over our global issues. This summit taught me that no matter how small a place you come from, you too have a story to tell which people want to hear about.
I am immensely grateful to the PACT Foundation for bringing this opportunity to the youth of Goa who deserve as big of a platform as anyone else. I hope to utilise what I have learnt in this summit back home by identifying how the SDGs are functioning in Goa and what we as students can do to help our state prosper and develop sustainably and not haphazardly.”
Raisa Mariette Pinto
“Attending the QS ImpACT Youth Summit 2025 was an enriching experience for many reasons the most significant of which was connecting with people from all around the world who feel so passionately about our planet and sustaining it for the generations to come. I was in awe of all the talented delegates and attendees and their brilliant ideas. Something that will stick with me forever is how everyone in the room was so dedicated towards a common goal but contributing towards that goal in their own unique capacities. I will definitely be bringing their positivity and drive back home. I would like to encourage young people like me to welcome opportunities like this and am grateful to PACT Foundation for bringing such opportunities to the youth of Goa.”
