‘Proud to be one of the five Indians to be selected for Global UGRAD programme’

Hyderabadi girl

Esha Chadha

, a final year student from St. Francis College for Women has done her college proud. The 19-year-old is one among five Indians and the only Hyderabadi to have qualified for the prestigious Global Undergraduate Exchange Program — also known as the Global UGRAD. As part of the programme, Esha has been awarded a full scholarship by the US Department of State for an entire semester at University of North Carolina, Pembroke, USA.

Esha, who had to clear several rounds of tests and interviews to be selected as the finalist, competed with over 50,000 applicants from across the country and is now staying at the American university.Hailing from a family with a defence background, this young achiever believes that being an ambassador of the country at an

international

forum representing her culture, it is her service to the nation.

“Whether it is talking about India’s emerging role in the global scenario during my International Relations’ class or simply introducing my peers to the joys of spicy Indian food — I’m loving every minute of this experience,” she beams, proudly.Sharing the same classroom with students from Germany, Nicaragua, Jordan, Burma, China, Pakistan and America gives Esha an opportunity to embrace a diverse range of cultures and share ideas to bridge gaps between nations.

“We have extensive discussions about America’s role in the world and its future, which makes for a very unique experience. It feels great to participate in such discussions with such a varied group of people from across the world,” says Esha, who’s aspiring to become a political analyst. Like many youngsters competing for the scholarship, Esha faced numerous hurdles before being selected for the programme. The youngster credits her family, friends and the American Consulate in Hyderabad for making the strenuous process of filing the application a little easier for her.

“It was a six-month-long process. It began with a written application, where I spent time grappling with essay questions, followed by my TOEFL exam and interview. Getting here was the most challenging journey of my life till date,” she says.

Now in a foreign land far away from home, Bollywood is the one thing that helps Esha connect with home, she says. “Everybody associates India with Bollywood. Movies like 3 Idiots and DDLJ are extremely popular among the student community here. People are always curious to learn more about our culture and traditions and I love talking about it as it makes me feel closer to home,” she says, signing off.