Scholarship created in the name of Ajay Ojha.
AB Wire
Upakar Foundation has selected seven meritorious Indian American students as its 2015 scholarship awardees.
This year’s seven recipients are: Viral Shah of Galloway, New Jersey; Kyra Clark of Sorrento, Florida; Rutaba Malik of Irving, Texas; Srihari Adarsh of Edina, Minnesota; Beckyannie Raju of Yukon, Oklahoma; Sachin De Young (Virginia for Education Scholar) of Manhattan, Kansas; and Anthony Paul (Ajay Ojha Memorial Scholar) of Rutledge, Pennsylvania.
The graduating class of 2019 includes two community college award recipients and joins 16 other Upakar Scholars who will be renewed for the 2015-2016 academic year, according to a press release.
This year’s awards includes the first scholarship named in memory of Ajay Ojha, an Upakar board member who exemplified the ideals of the Upakar Foundation through his life’s work.
“Another year, another great set of Upakar scholars,” Executive Vice President Nirupma Rohatgi said, in a statement. “Upakar is proud to support these future leaders to commemorate its sixteenth anniversary of scholarship awards. The key to advancement in the globalized economy is education, and Upakar plays a significant role in facilitating that in our community.”
Upakar was founded in 1997 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to combat the stereotype that every Indian American child can afford a four-year college education without being overwhelmed with student debt. According to 2012 government data, one in 12 Indian Americans lives below the poverty line, which is an annual income of just $23,000 for a family of four.
“Excellence in our community should be rewarded, and Upakar has done so for sixteen years,” Treasurer Nithya Nagarajan said, in a statement. “After all, financial resources should not be the sole determinant of a child’s level of success. But the need outstrips the current ability to meet it, and costs continue to rise.”
Upakar has awarded 136 scholarships to students who meet the criteria of being born in India or who have at least one Indian-born parent. The scholar must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Financial need is determined by the family’s adjusted gross income. Scholars must have attained a raw high school GPA above 3.6. Finally, as long as a scholar’s GPA exceeds 3.3 in college, Upakar will renew the scholarship for up to four years.
“Upakar is very proud of our newest batch of scholars”, President Jyotsna Gupta Jalil said, in a statement. “We continue to strive to find the best of our community and support them so they can focus on their academics rather than their student loans. We are also honored to be able to recognize a long time board member Ajay Ojha, who passed away in 2014 in a tragic accident. His friends, family and admirers have created a named scholarship for him. We take pride this year in awarding the first Ajay Ojha Memorial Scholarship.”
Upakar scholarship applications for 2016-17 will be available In February 2016. The submission deadline will be April 30, 2016. For more information visit www.upakarfoundation.org