RIPA AJMERA
Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Bachelor of Science, May 2008
Marketing, Producing
Bio and Resume (.pdf)
Ripa Ajmera is majoring in Marketing and minoring in Producing at the Stern School of Business. Her social entrepreneurial goal is to contribute to international women's and children's rights by transforming popular perceptions of women in developing countries through the power of mainstream film, television, magazine and online media. Through the use of these media, she hopes to share true, inspiring stories of young women who overcome obstacles and widely advertise the needs of women's health and educational organizations in order to inspire more talented, committed teachers, social workers, and social service providers. Because mainstream media productions can generate a great deal of revenue, she plans to allocate profits earned by her productions to create financial security packages for these incredibly strong yet stigmatized individuals who work on the ground to fundamentally solve problems related to women's and children's rights.
Ripa first became passionate about women's and children's rights as a young girl, when she would visit her extended family in India. During those trips, she became aware that practices such as female genital mutilation and honor killings are extremely pervasive and not limited to what she saw in India. Recognizing the sanctity of the family structure in the developing world, Ripa plans to integrate her understanding of the cultural and familial dynamics which promulgate patriarchy into her work by also featuring productions about families, especially fathers, who successfully withstand deeply-rooted gender biases in places like India, Africa and the Middle East to respect life and ensure their daughters the same opportunities in life as their sons.
To further inform her vision of "Spirit: Entertainment for the Soul," Ripa is interning in ABC's Law & Justice Production Unit with a team of award-winning national producers. She is also interning at Bemporad Baranowski Marketing Group (BBMG), where she will learn how to help nonprofit organizations and socially responsible businesses harness the laws of branding to stand out, build relationships, win loyalty and inspire action.
In the fall, Ripa will author a research paper about the challenges and opportunities associated with girl's education in developing countries through analyzing the political, economic, social and cultural frameworks surrounding this global challenge.
Having served as Co-Chairperson of NYU Reynolds' and Youth Venture's "Everyone a Changemaker Challenge," Ripa is launching NYU's chapter of Youth Venture this fall. With regular, themed meetings around issues of social importance, including relevant speakers, skill-building workshops, "projects and passions" sessions, film screenings and group entrepreneurship experiences, this chapter will be the first of its kind among undergraduate universities.