By Kaevel Sandhu, Greenwich high School, Class of 2027
In 2020, Raina Jain graduated from Greenwich High School in a world turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, at 22, she reflects on her journey—one that began as a science project in high school and grew into a national business, widely adopted by many beekeepers across the U.S. Her story is not only a testament to resilience and innovation, but also a reminder of the power of passion and perseverance.
Kaevel Sandhu and Raina Jain. Photography by Inga
A Family Rooted in Resilience
Raina’s first-generation Indian immigrant parents had come from humble beginnings. Both moved to the U.S. in pursuit of a better future and embodied the values of hard work and sacrifice—principles that Raina and her siblings carried forward.
Born in New Jersey, Raina moved to Greenwich in second grade, joining a predominantly white school where she often felt like she didn’t belong. Despite these challenges, she credits her upbringing to her parents for helping her develop strong character and an inner drive. They demonstrated her family’s lineage of strong women and how “their ceiling is her floor.” She also learned from her siblings, especially her older sister who served as a role model, paving the way for Raina in a world her parents couldn’t relate to or understand much.
Student Life
“I was always an average kid,” was the first line of Raina’s college essay. It was about how she had experienced a frustrating school life, constantly feeling her hard work was not being rewarded, especially academically, and felt like an outsider in the tougher classes she was pushing herself into.
The traditional school system wasn’t a good fit for Raina. She often researched successful entrepreneurs who had struggled in school, such as Walt Disney and Richard Branson. Seeing their entrepreneurial success gave her a sense of reassurance and inner peace, reinforcing the idea that she didn’t need to be great at school to achieve great things. Over time, she came to realize just how true this was.
An Unlikely Start to Entrepreneurship
Raina’s path to entrepreneurship began unexpectedly during her sophomore year in GHS’s renowned science research program. A visit to a bee farm in northern Connecticut exposed her to the alarming rate of bee deaths caused by human practices. The sight of thousands of discarded bees shook her deeply as Raina grew up in a household that valued all life—her parents had taught her to gently place insects back outside instead of killing them—Raina believes that humans still have so much to learn from nature, especially bees. Values like doing something for the betterment of the colony and self-sacrifice, or the fact that there is a female queen bee at the top of the hive inspired her. After seeing these unnecessary deaths, Raina felt compelled to take action.
In the school science lab, she worked tirelessly to develop a product that would reduce bee deaths.
What started as a school project soon turned into something bigger when beekeepers began asking for her solution.
Raina eventually developed a special beehive entrance that used a thymol-infused gel to help stop varroa mite infestations in honey bee hives. Later, she patented her invention, named HiveGaurd which became widely adopted by U.S. beekeepers.
However, when COVID-19 hit, her science lab shut down, forcing her to pivot. Raina started to look for new ways to help the beekeeping community. This led to the creation of “Queen Bee,” a business focused on purchasing honey bee byproducts from beekeepers and selling them to retailers like Whole Foods, distributing to 4,000 retailers nationwide.
Struggles and Lessons Learned
Raina’s entrepreneurial journey was far from easy. Early on, she faced immense mental pressure. She was fired from two jobs and dropped out of university for her entrepreneurship. On top of this, rejection became constant, she would drive to Whole Foods car parks in the early hours of the morning to catch managers entering the stores, to ask how to get her products into their stores, and faced countless rejections when promoting her products.
Despite these challenges, Raina’s resilience and determination kept her moving forward. She credits these experiences for developing her “thick skin” and teaching her how to battle through and withstand pressure.
Breaking the Mold: Leaving College for Entrepreneurship
Raina’s decision to drop out of college just two weeks in was a pivotal moment. With a full-ride scholarship to the University of Connecticut, leaving traditional education was a shocking move for her family. Education was everything to her immigrant parents, whose sacrifices were built on the traditional belief that a college education and hardwork was the path to success.
However, Raina knew her heart was elsewhere. She had been accepted into the prestigious Thiel Fellowship, which provides $100,000 to young entrepreneurs who choose to leave college and pursue their ideas revealing Raina’s bravery and courage. For Raina, this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Her parents’ skepticism was balanced by a phrase they often repeated, which instilled confidence in Raina. It doesn’t matter what your friends or teachers or even we, your parents say, if you and your heart says to go do it – Do it.
In Raina’s eyes her parents’ skepticism was just a test for her self confidence and how regardless of what happened she is going to choose what she thinks is the best path for her.
Looking back, Raina quickly learned that entrepreneurship rewarded qualities that the traditional school system often overlooked: creativity, persistence, and hard work which gave Raina a sense of fulfillment. These qualities drove her beyond when she got accepted to appear on Shark Tank to share her product. Her presentation earned her a deal with Mark Cuban – a milestone in her entrepreneurship career.
Lessons from High School and Beyond
Reflecting on her time at GHS, Raina acknowledges how the school helped shape her success. In one of her teacher’s classrooms, a poster read, “No one will remember the jeans you wore, but everyone will remember how you made them feel.” That message especially resonated with Raina, shaping her perspective on what truly matters, achieving her goals and aspirations. Additionally, the wide variety of classes—ranging from pottery and architecture to finance and computer graphics—offered students the chance to explore their passions. For Raina, the science research program led by mentor Andrew Bramante was life-changing. She credits him for her early success in high school. It allowed her to work hands-on and realize her potential, which the traditional classroom had failed to do. Through Raina’s journey she came to the realization that not every kid can shine in a traditional school system, something she unfortunately constantly faced.
“I was never a naturally gifted student,” Raina admits. She added that her hard work wasn’t always rewarded academically, but it taught her an invaluable lesson: how to persevere.
She encourages students to focus less on resumes and college applications and more on exploring their interests. “Try everything,” she said. “The point of high school isn’t to look good on paper—it’s to figure out what you love.”
For Raina, she found the GHS science research program, Raina later elaborated on how she wished she took more opportunities in high school and tried as many things possible taking advantage of GHS’s unique environment, rather than being stuck up on grades and classes. Raina explained that everyone eventually experiences a moment of inspiration— a turning point where they discover their passion or feel compelled to create change. Her advice is to pursue this and when you find something you think resonates with you chase it. In fact, Raina exclaims how if it wasn’t for the science research program she would have lived her whole life thinking she was stupid. Raina encourages all students of GHS to flourish in its environment.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
For students struggling in the traditional school system, Raina emphasizes the importance of finding what works for you. Not everyone learns the same way, and that’s okay. She believes hands-on experiences, like the science research program, can help students discover their strengths.
“Society doesn’t care about your background—it cares about the value you create,” Raina said.
She urges students to embrace challenges and view rejection as an opportunity to grow.
Looking Ahead
Today, Raina’s entrepreneurial journey continues. With each business venture, she builds on the lessons learned from previous challenges. Highlighting the importance in the power of compounding growth, where Raina explains how the distribution she had worked to achieve with Queen Bee over 4 years she was able to reach the same distribution for her new company within 4-5 months.
Raina’s story is a reminder that success isn’t linear, and that resilience, self-awareness, and a willingness to take risks can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
For students at Greenwich High School and beyond, Raina’s message is clear: success isn’t defined by grades or societal expectations. It’s about finding your passion, working hard, and daring to follow your unique path.