Nerd Community: A one-stop solution for students

Nerd Community is an online group where school, college and university students can find the answers to their queries and questions from not only experts, but a wide network of their peers. It also equips them with soft copies of books, past papers and other necessary resources. The platform, founded by Jannatul Ferdous Sigma, currently hosts more than 21,000 members. Sigma, a student of University of Dhaka, formed the group right after she took her A-level exams and was reaching out to her seniors for help regarding her university applications. At the time, she was also tutoring younger students who had many academic queries of their own.

Till date, Nerd Community has organised over 80 educational meet-ups and events, which helped students to gain knowledge about different fields, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The group, which is completely moderated by students from Bangladesh and beyond, has received an immensely positive response since its inception in November 2015.  From time to time, the team of Nerd Community consults teachers from the top institutions of Dhaka, to keep up the quality of their group and to gather suggestions for improvement. They also recruit new members annually, and provide internship opportunities for existing members. "Forming the group made me realise that young students love to help one another and I am delighted to see the enthusiasm of the members," says Sigma. Nerd Community also looks to open clubs related to subjects such as science, technology, engineering, robotics and mathematics, with an objective to develop students' interest in STEM fields.

"I have met some of the best people in my life through Nerd Community," adds Sigma. "The group has also helped me develop my leadership and communication skills."  She further hopes to increase the resources and information available in the group and launch a user-friendly website for it.