Field of Study India: Hindi and Urdu

Aadil Zeffer Sofi

Mr. Aadil Zeffer is a PhD candidate in English at Lovely Professional University, a private university in Jalandhar in the state of Punjab. He has two master’s degrees — in English from Central University of Kashmir and in Urdu from Maulana Azad National Urdu University. He was an English trainer for three years at a technical and vocational college in Saudi Arabia. He earned Cambridge certified CELTA and took courses in learning Spanish, Italian, and French.

Mr. Zeffer is an author of a book An Educational Supplement. His second book Convergence, which will be published soon focuses on uniting our collective spirit. He is also working on a book on Postmodern Gothic which is his thrust area. He has published several research papers in international as well as UGC care-listed journals.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he will use innovative teaching methods aiming to improve the linguistic ability of foreign language learners and this endeavor in turn, will enrich his pedagogical skills. He believes that the Fulbright FLTA program provides a wonderful platform for teaching learning experience and cultural exchange. He plans to use this Fulbright experience in his future academic and teaching assignments.

Fatima Ghazali

Ms. Fatima Ghazali completed her bachelor’s and master’s in English literature from Patna University, where she was awarded the Merit Certificate for being a rank-holder. After completing her master’s, she qualified the UGC National Eligibility Test in English, with a percentile score of 99.56. She has taught English as a second language, both at secondary school and undergraduate levels.

Ms. Ghazali enjoys writing. She wrote a research article titled “British Imperialism and the Woman: A Feminist Reading of the Native and the White Female”, which was published in Patna University Students’ Journal Iris. Her Letters to the Editor have been published in a leading national newspaper, The Indian Express. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in English literature on the topic of the postcolonial Muslim woman and the relationship between their literary representations and colonial narratives.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Ms. Ghazali is teaching Hindi and Urdu at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She believes that learning new languages opens numerous avenues and makes one more informed as well as more empathetic. Therefore, she feels honored to act as the conduit between not just two different languages, but also two separate worlds. The U.S. is a melting pot of cultures from around the world and Ms. Ghazali hopes to learn and experience myriad new things during her time there as an FLTA.

Vaibhavi Chaturvedi

Vaibhavi Chaturvedi is a PhD candidate in English literature at the English and Foreign Languages University, Lucknow. Her research delves into the significance of culinary narratives, exploring how they serve as vital spaces for creative expression and cultural identity for women. Through her work, she aims to highlight the intersection of food, literature, and gender, revealing how culinary storytelling can empower women and provide insight into their lived experiences and societal roles.

Vaibhavi completed her master’s degree at Jamia Millia Islamia and her bachelor’s degree at the University of Delhi. She has been awarded the Junior Research Fellowship by the University Grants Commission of India. She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences and has published papers in her field of study. With over two years of experience, she has taught English as a foreign language to young and adult learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. During her time as an intern with the Anubhuti Organization, she assisted in the development of a competency-based curriculum for students who had dropped out of primary schools.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Vaibhavi will be teaching Hindi and Urdu at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC. She aims to promote cross-cultural understanding by integrating a range of cultural perspectives into her teaching. She is eager to participate in the program as it will enhance her ability to be a compassionate and culturally aware scholar and educator.