Our Story

In 2022, Srinidhi Nagarajan conducted a research study on how group accountability could help teenagers reduce their TikTok usage. After the study, participants shared that reducing their screen time alongside others had improved their productivity, sense of fulfillment, and overall satisfaction. This inspired her to begin hosting group interventions to help people build healthier habits, eventually expanding from technology use to topics like time management, stress management, and nutrition.

However, through conversations with fellow college students, she realized how many young people struggled with everyday skills they had never been taught. Students spend years learning academic subjects through carefully designed curricula, lesson plans, and activities, yet so many of the skills we need to navigate our everyday lives are left for us to figure out on our own. While some students learn these skills through their families, extracurricular programs, or outside resources, others may never have that opportunity. She began wondering why we couldn't teach everyday life skills with the same level of intention and structure that we bring to academic subjects.

This question led her to found TRUST, an organization working to make life-skills a fundamental part of every student's education, in her home state of California. Today, we develop interactive, research-informed curricula on topics like time management, emotional regulation, nutrition, and self-esteem, and partner with schools and community organizations across the US to bring these lessons to young people. Beyond our workshops, we're also working through research and policy advocacy to make life-skills education a more consistent part of what students learn in school.

Ultimately, we envision a world where every student learns not only the information needed to succeed academically, but also how to take care of themselves, build healthy relationships, and create fulfilling lives.

We want education to help young people not only make a living, but build a life.