Abhi Sundaram and Samir Kavadi, Village High School Class of 2014, recently began their own business, CHAIBOY™. Aimed at reshaping the tea industry’s identity, their company explores the various ways in which tea can be used to create everlasting experiences.
Disappointed with the way current tea companies were doing things, they decided to start their own company and looked to create a new image for tea, one that uses various forms of art to address the influence tea can have on your daily lifestyle.
Launched this summer, their first collection of teas features 4 symbolic loose leaf tea blends.
“We are here with the dream to create a medium for consumers to gather, celebrate life, and enjoy a more sophisticated way of living. In order to fulfill that dream, we decided to create CHAIBOY, a contemporary hospitality tea concept that reshapes tea’s identity,” they explain.
Both Samir and Abhi attended Village for their entire high school career. And while Village hadn’t yet established its Entrepreneurial Diploma program, the alumni credit their time at Village with instilling in them the values and work ethic to start their own business.
As members of clubs like Student Government, NHS, and Village’s Blue Key Club, and school activities such as the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) projects, Samir and Abhi spent their time at Village soaking up as much knowledge and experience as they could.
“The business leadership conference I attended at Fordham University one summer during high school, coupled with my teachers at Village, initiated my love for entrepreneurship,” Samir says.
If they could give advice to current Village students, Abhi says, “I want Village students to understand how lucky they are to be where they are! To be surrounded by international students, a tight-knit family, and teachers that care about your personal success is an incredible opportunity!”
Samir shares, “More so than anything, my favorite memory will always be the people I was able to interact with, not only in my grade, but throughout the Village family. The ability to learn, experience, and see firsthand how different cultures assimilate at that scale was amazing and it really opened up my eyes to the world we live in.”
After graduating from Village, Abhi attended Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in International Hospitality Management. During this time, he held internships at The Ritz-Carlton in Dubai and Barcelona and with Oasis Collections for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Samir graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2018 with his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance. Before starting CHAIBOY, he worked in corporate financial planning and analysis. He is an avid tennis player and enjoys staying active and spending time with friends and family.
To learn more about CHAIBOY, check out their website, https://wearechaiboy.com/, or follow them on instagram @wearechaiboy.
Every school is home to exceptional individuals dedicated to making a positive impact on their community. Whether it's through class initiatives, service projects, or independent efforts, students are constantly striving to improve the world around them.
At The Village School, these initiatives shine brightly as students embrace opportunities to lead with empathy and purpose. One such example is a project started by Milan Drummond, a 12th grader with a passion for justice and community well-being. Through her initiative, Harmony Highways, Milan is working to improve relations between the public and law enforcement, reflecting both her desire to make a difference and her career aspirations.
During the summer time, vacations, pools, and fun are certainly on children’s minds. However, it’s also important to incorporate learning into their day. Summer learning loss, also known as the "summer slide," refers to the decline in academic and social skills that can occur when children are not engaged in educational activities during the summer months. Dana Sheridan, LPC, Lower School Counselor at The Village School, sheds light on this issue and offers practical solutions for parents to keep their children's minds active during the long summer break.
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