TOWER FELLOW IMPACT
From Theory to Fieldwork: A Tower Fellow’s Path to Purpose
Tower Fellow Amit Maheshwari's academic journey led him to the coast of Kenya, where he applied his executive expertise to solve real-world problems in water and carbon credit markets.
Tower Fellow Amit Maheshwari
For Amit Maheshwari, “what starts here changes the world” quickly became reality during his first semester as a Tower Fellow.
“This was not just taking a course on nonprofit, it was living the whole thing,” he said.
Maheshwari spent the spring of 2025 learning the mechanics of carbon credit markets—and relearning how to work with 20-year-olds—in preparation for real work far beyond UT's Forty Acres. The class, a partnership between the Cockrell School of Engineering and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, focuses on decentralizing desalination facilities to provide clean water for underprivileged communities.
“It's generally easier to write a check and then let somebody else do the work,” Maheshwari said. “But I've always been a hands-on type of person first.”
Led by Assistant Professor of Public Affairs Dr. Patrick Bixler and Professor of Engineering Dr. Manish Kumar, the class partnered with GivePower, a nonprofit focused on solar-powered water treatment. In May, they traveled more than 9,000 miles to the coast of Kenya.
“I was trying to understand, at the ground level, how does a potential conservation nonprofit operate?” he said. “And how do you work with a diverse group of people who you haven't collaborated with before to execute a mission?"
“This was not just taking a course on nonprofit, it was living the whole thing,” he said.
Maheshwari spent the spring of 2025 learning the mechanics of carbon credit markets—and relearning how to work with 20-year-olds—in preparation for real work far beyond UT's Forty Acres. The class, a partnership between the Cockrell School of Engineering and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, focuses on decentralizing desalination facilities to provide clean water for underprivileged communities.
“It's generally easier to write a check and then let somebody else do the work,” Maheshwari said. “But I've always been a hands-on type of person first.”
Led by Assistant Professor of Public Affairs Dr. Patrick Bixler and Professor of Engineering Dr. Manish Kumar, the class partnered with GivePower, a nonprofit focused on solar-powered water treatment. In May, they traveled more than 9,000 miles to the coast of Kenya.
“I was trying to understand, at the ground level, how does a potential conservation nonprofit operate?” he said. “And how do you work with a diverse group of people who you haven't collaborated with before to execute a mission?"
The class was divided into four groups, Maheshwari’s being the carbon credit market analysis team. The team helped GivePower with marketing and business plan development before conducting extensive fieldwork, going door-to-door surveying water quality in the neighborhoods of Mombasa, Kenya.
One of the three students on his team, Natalie Sherman, said Maheshwari took a natural leadership position.
"For me, that accountability from someone who is not another undergrad is really important for raising my standard of work,” said Sherman, a junior environmental engineering student.
An electrical engineer and software industry expert, Maheshwari successfully co-founded three startups and is an executive advisor to automotive technology companies. He said the study-abroad experience allowed him to use his experience in a new way, guiding his team through challenges commonly found in the private sector.
“He is not a college student doing his engineering undergrad who has never talked to a carbon credit professional before,” Sherman said. “He was able to really use his connections to give us a head start."
One of the three students on his team, Natalie Sherman, said Maheshwari took a natural leadership position.
"For me, that accountability from someone who is not another undergrad is really important for raising my standard of work,” said Sherman, a junior environmental engineering student.
An electrical engineer and software industry expert, Maheshwari successfully co-founded three startups and is an executive advisor to automotive technology companies. He said the study-abroad experience allowed him to use his experience in a new way, guiding his team through challenges commonly found in the private sector.
“He is not a college student doing his engineering undergrad who has never talked to a carbon credit professional before,” Sherman said. “He was able to really use his connections to give us a head start."
The students installed water treatment facilities along the coast of Kenya and built connections with community members. According to Sherman, Maheshwari was all-in on making memories— and making sure students tasted what Kenya had to offer.
“He would just sit with this menu, and they’d bring out 20 dishes covering the table, and everyone would eat family style,” she said, describing when the class went out to dinner on the trip. “That was really fun.”
“He would just sit with this menu, and they’d bring out 20 dishes covering the table, and everyone would eat family style,” she said, describing when the class went out to dinner on the trip. “That was really fun.”
For Sherman, the overall experience solidified her choice to study engineering.
“It's not just a means to an end, but we have the tools, the education, to create things and increase their quality of life," she said. “I wouldn't have gotten as much out of the program if Amit wasn't there.”
Maheshwari said the trip reflected his overall Tower Fellow experience, offering valuable insight into how he envisions balancing his nonprofit work with his for-profit ventures. He described the trip as “prototyping,” a concept of testing things out to decide what’s best for one’s future. The idea comes from the book Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, which Tower Fellows discuss during their first semester of the program.
"I learned that if you're going to have a theory of change that can benefit from the responsible use of technology and infrastructure, you have to go the entire way through,” Maheshwari said. “That was an amazingly satisfying learning experience.”
“It's not just a means to an end, but we have the tools, the education, to create things and increase their quality of life," she said. “I wouldn't have gotten as much out of the program if Amit wasn't there.”
Maheshwari said the trip reflected his overall Tower Fellow experience, offering valuable insight into how he envisions balancing his nonprofit work with his for-profit ventures. He described the trip as “prototyping,” a concept of testing things out to decide what’s best for one’s future. The idea comes from the book Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, which Tower Fellows discuss during their first semester of the program.
"I learned that if you're going to have a theory of change that can benefit from the responsible use of technology and infrastructure, you have to go the entire way through,” Maheshwari said. “That was an amazingly satisfying learning experience.”
Since returning to the United States, Maheshwari has continued to support GivePower and has been a proponent of supporting mission driven study-abroad programs at The University of Texas at Austin.
“This kind of a collaborative and satisfying experience is not available in the marketplace,” he said. “I would have done the Tower Fellow Program just for my time and learning from this one program in itself.”
Read Amit Maheshwari's Tower Fellow bio.
“This kind of a collaborative and satisfying experience is not available in the marketplace,” he said. “I would have done the Tower Fellow Program just for my time and learning from this one program in itself.”
Read Amit Maheshwari's Tower Fellow bio.