The nation should feel proud as around 17 of the 34 fellows of Indian origin have been selected for American India Foundation’s William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India for its 2015-16 class.
Selection Procedure
The students were selected by identifying the candidates who have a keen interest in serving India; the maturity and flexibility to work and live effectively in India; the experience to make meaningful contributions to non-governmental organizations and social enterprises in India and the leadership potential to become a leader on development issues.
Eligibility Criteria
The candidates were supposed to be either the Indian Citizen or a citizen of United States between the ages of 21 and 34. They should have also obtained their Undergraduate Degree latest by September 1, 2015. Further they should have thorough knowledge of development field and issues in India. They should have a humble respect for other cultures, must be aware about their role and how it will play in their lives; willingness to find ways to be helpful at their host organization and adaptability to challenging living and working conditions.
Name of the candidates selected
The selected nine Indian Americans are: Ishita Arora, Sarah Manchanda, Mahroh Jahangiri, Benita Mahanta, Ambika Roos, Kushal Amin, Yasmin Lalani, Natasha Ramanujam and Priyanka Murali. The selected Indian-origin fellows are: Kuljan Singh, Benson Neethipudi, Shriyam Gupta, Stanzin Saldon, Janice D’Souza, Udayan Phillips, Aparna Nutakki and Rachel Varghese.
Details of selected Indian American Fellow
The selected Indian American Priyanka Murali has spent her childhood in four countries and presently as per her opinion Fremont, Calif., is her home. Due to the exposure of culture of four different countries she possess a unique perspective that how the daily life is affected by cultures. She has obtained his undergraduate degrees in South Asian studies and genetics.
She has worked with South Asian Heart Center, a wellness clinic. To continue her education further she pursued a graduate degree in genetic counseling, where she conducted independent research and consulted with patients diagnosed with genetic diseases. While on a Internship at a genetics clinic in Bangalore she came across the effects of culture on healthcare and thereby became quite interested interested in different models of healthcare delivery in India.
Details of selected Indian-origin fellow
The selected Indian-origin fellow Aparna Nutakki was born in Hyderabad but presently she lives in Chicago with her family. While in the college days she as a volunteer worked in free health clinics for uninsured patients of Chicago. Not only this but also she also went to Honduras as part of medical brigades. She has also worked with an NGO in India to diagnose diabetes and anemia in the tribal population of Wayanad, Kerala.
The perfect blend of these experiences and after observing differences in healthcare while growing up in India motivated Nutakki to become a physician, especially to serve the underprivileged communities.
The fellows will be dispersed to various regions of India beginning in the fall.
