The Shaukat Initiative aims to create a space where the children of USC’s staff members can further develop their intellectual interests and explore new disciplines in an intimate academic setting. We empower zealous undergraduates and graduates at USC with the freedom to design their own courses that create a learning environment which is geared towards communicating the subject matter in an engaging and intellectually stimulating fashion in order to help students discover their passions. Our team is dedicated towards adopting a pedagogy that shifts focus from grades and test performance to developing academic curiosity, a love for reading and critical thinking. Given the increasing socioeconomic inequality and the astronomical rise of competition in the education sector, the Shaukat Initiative was conceived with the intention of catering to an under-appreciated cohort of the Trojan family, which plays an integral role in making our university one of the finest higher education institutions in the world. By providing our students with academic opportunities and resources that may not be available in their schools, we hope to increase their competitiveness on the national stage, while simultaneously redefining their classroom experience.