November 2025: Under25, India’s leading youth media network, conducted another successful Summit at Campus (SAC) at Bangalore Institute of Technology (BIT), Bangalore, with great zeal and energy. Summit at Campus is Under25’s youth festival, bringing workshops, conversations, and performances straight to the campuses throughout the year. It is a unique experience for the students, created by the students. They are encouraged to take up leadership roles to tap into their true potential. It is a platform where classrooms turn into launchpads for creativity and community. One such opportunity was the recent Under25 experience, where the popular influencer, Rida Tharana took the stage.
Rida transported to her college days, peppered her session with stories and anecdotes from her hometown, Coorg, and uplifted students’ spirits with her motivational words and humour-filled interaction. She took the students on a journey with her, giving them a peek into her background. Growing up in a humble household, she, at a very young age, learnt to be independent. Rida got candid and shared that she dodged the pressure of the traditional expectations and early marriage by pursuing higher education. She endorsed the importance of incorporating practical lessons on money, loans, taxes, and investments in the education system, especially for women, as financial freedom entails complete independence for them.
While sharing her life story, she also talked about her struggles to pursue education and the odd jobs she took up to sustain herself. From distributing pamphlets to modelling gigs to call centre jobs, she funded her studies, along with taking an education loan of ₹3 lakh, despite her parents’ initial hesitation.
It wasn’t an easy journey. But the breaking point came during the pandemic. Rida turned this frustration into an opportunity to express herself and the challenges that women face on her social media. This raw, unfiltered approach towards storytelling deeply resonated with the audience, and today, she has amassed 1.5 million Instagram followers, and her online community continues to grow.
During the session, she gave some financial nuggets and hacks to manage money to the first-year engineering students in the audience. The session wasn’t just about motivation and advice; she
also interacted with the young students, participating in various activities.
Talking about her experience, Rida Tharana, said, “It has been a while since I stepped into a college, and it was a blast to do so! The energy was palpable, and to interact with students, sharing my story was a super cool experience.”
In the true Under25 Summit at Campus spirit, the influencer also tried BIT Bangalore canteen’s famous egg pops snack. She also watched and reacted to students’ creative and funny reels, and also recreated one of the viral dance videos with some of them. She ended the session with more encouraging words and high-spirit.
Through SACs, Under25 is empowering students to take charge of shaping the youth culture. Rida’s session was the testament of a true Under25 Summit At Campus, where inspiration meets entertainment, leaving students uplifted and motivated. With honesty, humour, and a reality check, she turned her story into one that reflects resilience and empowerment.
