Two Maharashtra girls bag Rs 67.5 lakh scholarship from US varsity

Updated on: Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Two Maharashtra girls have bagged a scholarship worth Rs 67.5 lakh each from the University of Cincinnati (UC), US.

The two meritorious girls are Anjani Lahane of Mangaon (Raigad district) and Karishma Randhave of Shirval (Satara district) villages.

The duo will receive full scholarships, including tuition, housing, meals, and airfare for a total value of over USD 150,000 each, to pursue their bachelor's engineering degrees at UC commencing this month.

This step has made India the first ever beneficiary country of the UC Global Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, the University's Director of International admissions Jonathan Weller told media-persons here.

"This scholarship shows the university's commitment to developing closer ties to India and we are proud to have identified two deserving girls," Weller said.

"Aside from its financial considerations, UC is developing a strong support network of Indian students, professors, and community members to help the girls transition to lives of US college students," he added.

Eighteen-year-old Anjani and 17-year-old Karishma were shortlisted by UC through its partnership with a prestigious non-profit organisation, Lend-A-Hand India (LAHI), which works in education sector in rural India.

"It's like a dream come true. We had never imagined the kind of support we would receive from UC and LAHI. They have encouraged us, taught and prepared us for pursuing higher education in the US," Anjani said.

"This scholarship means a lot to me and my family. My school and village are all proud of us. I had never dreamt that I would travel so far to educate myself. UC and LAHI have been both instrumental in bringing this radical change in our lives," Karishma said.

Over the last two months, the two students worked with LAHI and UC's country coordinator Anjali Khavnekar, to prepare themselves for study abroad, including improving their English communication skills and basic training so as to get acquainted with the different living conditions, classroom routines, emphasis on self-study methodology and food habits.

The girls have completed all formalities related to their travel and are set to fly to the US in early September and Weller will escort them to the University of Cincinnati.

Sunanda Mane, LAHI's co-founder said, "While we play the role of community development, we acknowledge UC's role in helping and associating with us to bring this absolutely unique global scholarship program for the benefit of the underprivileged students.

"This is a life changing opportunity for the selected students which will not only impact the student themselves but their families and community from which they come," Mane said.

"We are planning to increase our Global Scholarships to incoming Indian graduate students this year and hoping to expand the number of UC students studying abroad in India as well," Weller said.

Two Maharashtra girls bag Rs 67.5 lakh scholarship from US varsity

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