It all started when…

The Ten is an initiative of The Pamela and Ajay Raju Foundation. For the pilot year of The Ten, The Raju Foundation partnered with Freire Charter School as the first participating high school. Freire Charter School has long demonstrated a commitment to providing unique learning opportunities for its students through the engagement of community leaders in Philadelphia. Freire Charter School naturally recognized the value in the leadership development journey that is at the core of The Ten’s vision.

Ajay Raju served in the role of business executive. Mr. Raju is the Chairman and CEO of Dilworth Paxson LLP, a Philadelphia-based law firm, and his business and philanthropic interests extend into a multitude of fields: venture capital, real estate development, journalism, and art. Beginning in September, 2018, Mr. Raju collaborated with his ten Freire Charter School students several times per month. Adhering to The Ten’s methodology, he structured his sessions of The Ten with a particular focus on innovators throughout history. Through discussions of innovation, the importance of self-knowledge and actively engaging with the world on one’s own terms grew increasingly clear. Just as innovators create change on their own terms without permission, Mr. Raju sought to inspire in each student the desire to find their own inner leader as a means to pursuing and achieving their own goals on their own terms.