Aloukika Patro (Fin, Mgmt’27)
There are a few things you notice when you meet sophomore Aloukika Patro. Her radiant smile exudes warmth and enthusiasm. She speaks with a genuine sincerity that puts you at ease. And while she navigates life in a wheelchair, it’s hardly a focus. She’s far more interested in life’s opportunities than its obstacles.
ʲٰ’s reflects this philosophy. It’s packed with accomplishments and awards—a remarkable portfolio for a college sophomore.
Transforming fear through kindness
Patro also prefers to focus on what she considers to be the antidote to the pervasive problem of fear: kindness.
She became a kindness crusader in 2015 when her family moved from Bangalore, India, to Colorado for her father’s job. At 10, she started a new life in a new country, an experience she can only describe as “surreal.”
Not surprisingly, Patro was nervous about being in a different environment with a whole new group of peers. Her mother offered a solution: Why don’t you initiate conversations?
Guided by her parents’ encouragement to do things even when they’re uncomfortable, Patro discovered the more she reached out with kindness, the more it was returned. And she has been following the practice ever since—knowing that every experience offers something of value.
Launching the KIKA Project
ʲٰ’s experiences led to her 2019 launch of the KIKA Project—an acronym for “Kindness Inspires Kind Acts.” She created “KIKA Coins” for people to give to each other as tokens of appreciation for doing a kind act. As the coins are passed along, it demonstrates a powerful chain of kindness, Patro explained.
Her mission gained urgency after the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting, a heartbreaking tragedy Patro discussed in , ”Strengthening Your Mental Health Through Kindness.“
“Nobody really talks to us about mental health when we’re young,” she said.
After researching, Patro realized that kindness has an important connection to mental health, and that addressing mental health should start at an early age, prior to the transition to teen years. That’s when she believes her KIKA Coins can work most effectively, and she hopes to bring the project to elementary schools.
To approach a younger audience, Patro published a children’s book in 2022 called . It features a young girl named Nisha from India (Patro quipped it’s her in a parallel universe). The story highlights diverse students and addresses feelings of isolation and being bullied—fortunately not what Patro experienced, but something she—and many kids in school—witness. In the book, finding the magic KIKA Coin empowers the kids to come together and overcome those challenges.
“I want to put a seed into young kids’ subconscious minds to understand what kindness is,” she said. That can cement a powerful foundation for future well-being and thriving relationships, she believes.
Miss Amazing
Through the years, ʲٰ’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Her participation in the pageant, in which she won both the state and national titles, led her to meet a woman from the organization who was so impressed with Patro that she sponsored her to produce 2,000 KIKA Coins, which enabled her to kickstart the KIKA journey.
She has been passing out the coins ever since (six years and counting).
In the meantime, other impressive awards have come along, among them the Douglas County Youth Initiative Award, the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and the Freedom Foundation Award.
“I sometimes forget how much value and substance this project holds, and how it truly impacts people’s lives,” said Patro. “So that's what keeps me going.”
Building momentum
It can be challenging juggling so many initiatives with a full-time college workload, but nothing deters Patro. As she discovered early on, people can accomplish extraordinary things in a variety of ways. She eschews the word “disability” and would instead favor “diff-ability,” as in “differently abled.”
Her to-do list is evidence of her determination. She’s a Dalai Lama Fellow at the Renée Crown Wellness Institute at CU Boulder; she belongs to several organizations; she hosted a podcast called The College Lens to spread awareness about college isolation; and she has pursued internships.
Although Patro is still exploring her options, she’s building her leadership skills and leaning toward finance and information management as majors. She wants to gain experience in the corporate business world, enabling her to ultimately run her own business one day. She also hopes to see the KIKA Project flourish as a nonprofit.
- Know that failure is just an event. Failure sharpens you but never defines you.
- Recognize that the smallest things make the biggest difference in people’s lives.
- Kindness is a free gift we give to others, but the reward is rich.
The kindness factor at Leeds
Patro considered college options across the U.S., but she was drawn to Leeds’ environment. “I came to visit this place and saw that the people were excited to be here.”
Relying on her intuition—one of her best tools—was all she needed to know she belonged. “I feel like everybody at Leeds has something to give,” she said.
“I like taking advantage of opportunities, and I think everybody here is an opportunity for me to get to know and connect with.”