Senior Spotlight: Dhruv Goel Discusses His TGS Journey and Entrepreneurial Aspirations

Hi Dhruv, can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I was born in a small town in India and spent my life before TGS growing up in Lesotho, Botswana, India, and Zambia. 

Two years into my TGS journey, I now find it slightly ironic that I decided to apply amidst the chaos of COVID-19. I grew up as a curious child, constantly questioning why things are the way they are, so I just had a funny feeling that it was the right decision.

Dhruv and his classmates in Teotihuacán, Mexico

So far at TGS, the countries I’ve called home include the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Greece, Botswana, India, and South Korea. During that time, engaging in activities like documentary filmmaking in Dubai, crafting archeological VR experiences in Oaxaca, and exploring underwater wrecks near Athens have significantly broadened my intellectual and experiential diversity and shifted my understanding of life.  

That being said, I still try my best to stay that curious kid I’ve always been because, to me, education is life itself. 

You are doing a lot in the space of artificial intelligence, technology, and entrepreneurship these days. What led you down that path, and where do you see yourself, either five or ten years from now? 

I’ve always had an innate desire to solve problems and question everything. For me, diving into AI and emerging technologies is a never-ending endeavour of learning — I always have new questions to ask and rabbit holes to discover. 

Pursuing entrepreneurship really emerged from my desire to make an immediate impact, solve problems, and innovate upon existing solutions. I found that when I combined this mindset with risk-taking is when entrepreneurship really entered my life: I firmly believe that the limit on global progress is the ambition of the most ambitious — I aspire to embody that and challenge everyone else to do it too. 

Dhruv and Diego at the Gyeongbukgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea

Five or ten years from now, you may find me working with wildlife conservationists in Kenya, on the cover of Forbes, or making underwater documentaries in the Philippines. The future is unpredictable, and so am I. As I continue my journey through life, I plan on rising to any and all challenges and will strive to continually be in awe of the unexpected.  

Mastery projects are a big part of a TGS education. Could you tell us more about the mastery project you worked on while at THINK Global School?

For my mastery project, I am currently building Torpedo – a digital career advisory and portfolio development platform for ambitious youth across the globe. 

Entrepreneurship, like building a platform like Torpedo, is something that I knew I wanted to pursue, but my fears stopped me in the past. I was scared to take risks and fail; however, as an entrepreneur, failure is always on the table — it’s part of our job description. 

But Torpedo is only the tip of the iceberg. It began by coming up with multiple ideas, putting myself in environments to gain feedback and iterate them, and eventually reaching a point where I identified a valid problem to execute upon. 

So far, Torpedo has eleven advisors and nine partnerships with other start-ups and organizations. We are also enrolled in the League of Innovators accelerator program, one of the world’s top accelerators for founders under 30. 

No entrepreneurial process is linear, and it will never be. But you have to enjoy it — that’s non-negotiable. Hopefully, this isn’t my last venture, and I’m here for it!

Did your TGS education and the Changemaker Curriculum help you get to where you are now? If so, how? 

Absolutely! My TGS education has deeply touched many aspects of my life. You learn to fail, learn to love, learn to innovate, and learn to nurture. But most of all, it’s taught me to think unconventionally and independently. 

Dhruv and his CM2 classmates in Oaxaca, Mexico

The TGS experience truly highlights that when things seem black and white, they often have a pink layer underneath. It’s the shifts in perspective, the “ah-ha” moments, and the unexpected stories that stick with you most at the end of your journey. 

What advice would you give to prospective THINK Global School students?

Embody the nature of unconventional thinking. Don’t be scared to be the misfits, the troublemakers, and the rebels.

Dhruv in Gamcheon Culture Village, Busan, South Korea

You chose TGS because the gravitational pull towards conventional ways of thinking wasn’t the path for you. All these years, you’ve been conditioned not to fail, not to be vulnerable. Aspire to become the opposite: Start each day with curiosity and end it with gratitude; ask yourself, what is something different I can do each day? 

And in the wise words of Alex McPike, “Don’t just travel, explore. You aren’t competing for the same trophy here. Everybody’s path through TGS is unique; you will learn about the world around you, but most importantly, about yourself.” 

Do you have a favorite location that you’ve visited during your time at THINK Global School? What is that one moment that made it so special?  

This is a tough choice between Oaxaca’s luscious cuisine, Botswana’s ubuntu hospitality, and snowboarding for the first time in South Korea. 

But if I had to choose one, it would be stargazing the Milky Way in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. Far from the hustle and bustle of urban life, the vast expanse of the desert provides an unparalleled opportunity to witness the grandeur of the cosmos in all its glory.

The view of the night sky from the Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari has been home to indigenous people for thousands of years, and stargazing here evokes a profound sense of connection to the wisdom and traditions of these ancient cultures. As we gazed upwards, we were lucky enough to witness glimpses of shooting stars streaking across the sky. You learn to live in the present in moments like that, but moreso, you really gain a sense of gratitude for how truly expansive and limitless our world is.