Why Okara. Why now.
This idea did not arrive suddenly. It sat at the back of my mind for years, quietly, the way important things often do before you finally act on them.
Okara has produced very few civil servants. This is a district rich in agriculture, and most established families here built their name in business, not public service. But the talent has always been here. What was missing was never ability. It was guidance. And that is true not only in Okara, but in many other districts across Punjab, where bright students simply never had anyone to show them the way.
No institution like ACE existed here. So instead of waiting for one to appear, I decided to build it myself.
We are starting small and deliberate on purpose: free mentorship for three candidates from Okara, selected through an essay and an interview, alongside paid guidance for candidates from any district or province who want the same standard of feedback. This is a pilot, and the first responsibility is to give back to my own hometown, the place that shaped me before I ever shaped anything else. If it works the way I believe it can, the plan is to carry this same model to other regions of Pakistan.
The hope is simple, and it is the only thing that has ever really mattered to me here: that ACE becomes a place students can trust, the moment they decide it is time to change their lives.
Waleed Ashraf, Founder, ACE by CSP Waleed