Indian Fellows 2024-2025 Archives

Tripti Sharma

Ms. Tripti Sharma is a dedicated PGT biology teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya IIP, Dehradun, where she imparts her knowledge and passion for biology to urban class students. With a postgraduate degree in zoology, she possesses a strong academic foundation that enriches her teaching methodology.

In addition to her teaching role, Tripti is a trained counsellor from NCERT. She has actively engaged in counselling both students and adults as a regular Manodarpan counsellor. Her efforts extend beyond individual support; she has contributed to educational discussions by delivering insightful talks during Sahyog and Paricharcha sessions organized by NCERT. Tripti’s multifaceted approach to education, combining biological sciences with mental well-being, highlights her commitment to nurturing holistic development among her students.

Tripti views her participation in the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program as a transformative opportunity. She is being exposed to innovative teaching methodologies, advanced instructional strategies, and effective integration of technology in the classroom. By engaging with educators from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, she is acquiring a global perspective on education and building lasting networks for collaboration. Tripti is excited to immerse herself in U.S. educational practices and culture, while also sharing her own rich experiences and traditions. She sees the program as a chance to strengthen her teaching skills, contribute meaningfully to her school and community upon her return, and grow as an educator committed to fostering excellence in her field.

Sonbon Anthony D’souza

Mr. Sonbon Anthony D’souza teaches English at Telangana State Model School, and Junior College, Maripeda, Mahabubabad, Telangana. With over a decade of teaching experience, he has dedicated his career to nurturing students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. He holds a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s in education.

Anthony is actively involved in training teachers at the district and state levels. He has served as a key resource person for the prestigious English Language Enrichment Course and contributed to curriculum development for the Telangana Open School Society’s SSC and Intermediate textbooks. He was recognized with the District Best Teacher Award in 2023 for his innovative teaching methods and his contributions during the pandemic. His classroom story was published in the national journal *Teachers Muse*, showcasing his commitment to education.

Through the Fulbright TEA program, Anthony is exploring innovative teaching methodologies to make learning more participatory and impactful. Upon returning, he envisions organizing language development programs for students and teachers to enhance their communication skills, foster self-confidence, and prepare them for future academic and career opportunities. He also intends to share his Fulbright journey and learnings through workshops, seminars, and educational forums, while creating opportunities for cross-cultural collaborations and meaningful academic partnerships.

Tajamul Naseem Lone

Mr. Tajamul Naseem Lone is an accomplished educator with over ten years of teaching experience. He teaches biology and environmental science at the secondary school stage, integrating information and communication technology based approaches to foster interactive and innovative learning. As an Innovation in-charge at school and district levels, he addresses societal challenges through technological solutions and promotes creative problem-solving among students. He has an MPhil in zoology and master’s in environmental science, public administration, and education. He is dedicated to environmental conservation and awareness initiatives.

Through the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement program, Tajamul is strengthening his teaching methods, building cross-cultural competencies, and engaging with innovative educational practices. After returning, he plans to apply the knowledge gained to improve curriculum delivery, encourage global awareness among students, and foster an inclusive and dynamic learning environment in his community.

Senthil Selvan Jayam

Mr. Senthil Selvan Jayam is a Mathematics teacher with 20 years of experience, instructing students of grades 6 through 10 at the Government Higher Secondary School in Kallur, Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu. He holds a master’s degree and a M.Phil in mathematics, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education. His contributions to developing the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure at his school, effectively integrating ICT into his classroom teaching, and creating educational content has earned him numerous awards, including the National ICT Award.

Senthil is learning about new technologies and pursuing professional development through the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement program. He is enthusiastic about the opportunity to teach in American schools and to experience the US educational system. After completing this program, he intends to share his learnings with fellow educators in detail. He firmly believes that this exchange of knowledge will benefit not only him but also his school and the larger teaching community.

Sampat Kumar Kokkula

Mr. Sampat Kumar Kokkula is a teacher of English at Zilla Parishad High School (Girls), Uppal, in Hanumakonda District, Telangana. He has 27 years of teaching experience. He has master’s degrees in English, zoology, education, and psychology. He is a state resource person and a research fellow at the National Institute of Technology, Warangal. His efforts aim to build confidence, communication, and critical thinking abilities among students and promote girl’s education. His vision is one of better teaching standards and student outcomes.

Sampat completed the online courses The American English E-Teacher Program, 21st Century Skills and English Language Teaching from Regional English Office-India, Certificate in English Language Teaching from Regional Institute of English, Bangalore, and Foundation Course from Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, New Delhi. He completed the British Council’s Action Research Mentoring Scheme project. He designed the Techy Kids project, which connected students to global platforms during the pandemic. He conducted training sessions, webinars and conferences to help teachers adopt modern teaching techniques. Being a representative of the English Language Teachers Association, Telangana, he coordinated state-level storytelling, Spell Wizard, Elocution, and Drama competitions and English Olympiad. He took an active role in the project ‘Communicative English for Chenchu Children’. He wrote a drama script that integrated many discourses.

As a Fulbright TEA fellow, Sampat is working on advanced teaching methods and individualized strategies for inclusive education. He aims to integrate technology into classrooms and strengthen community involvement by adopting practices from the United States’ education system.

Ashoshika Bhadoria

Ms. Ashoshika Bhadoria, a Lecturer in Political Science at a Delhi government school since 2008, is dedicated to making education accessible and inclusive. She organizes weekend classes for underprivileged children in suburban areas near her school, emphasizing that the size of one’s classroom is as big as one’s imagination allows it to be. Former students now pursuing higher education support this initiative. Together, they run these classes and manage a makeshift library in the community, promoting reading habits and constructive engagement among children.

As the school’s Teacher Development Coordinator, Ashoshika enhances the academic environment by encouraging innovative teaching strategies and fostering collaboration among colleagues to address common challenges. Her expertise extends to curriculum planning with institutions such as NCERT, CBSE, SCERT, and DIETs, aligning her work with the National Education Policy 2020.

As a participant in the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Ashoshika is developing student-centered strategies to bridge the digital divide and share her experiences in community-driven education. As a political science teacher, she strives to enable her students to understand global challenges and collaborate on sustainable solutions.

Abhilash Ashok

Mr. Abhilash Ashok is a dedicated English language educator with over 15 years of teaching experience, known for his innovative approach to English Language Teaching (ELT). Holding an MA, MPhil, and currently pursuing a PhD in English Language Teaching, Abhilash is passionate about exploring and implementing creative pedagogical strategies that enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

Adept in using theatre pedagogy as a dynamic tool in his classrooms, Abhilash combines creativity with practical teaching methods to improve students’ language proficiency and confidence. His contributions extend beyond the classroom, manifesting in impactful workshops for teachers on prestigious platforms such as the International Conference on English Language Teaching in Arabia, hosted by the University of Qatar.

As a scholar-practitioner, Abhilash has contributed to academic research. His paper, published in the International Journal of Curriculum Development and Learning Measurement, highlights his commitment to advancing the field of ELT through scholarly inquiry.

As a Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program fellow, Abhilash is engaging in cross-cultural academic exchanges, learning from global educational practices, and refining his expertise in innovative teaching methodologies.

Through this opportunity, Abhilash seeks to inspire students and educators to embrace transformative learning experiences that have a lasting impact.

Pallavi Rachel George

Pallavi is a Ph.D. candidate at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad where she specializes in the Public Systems Group (PSG). After three years of working as a policy researcher in the development sector, she turned to academia to follow her passion for research, teaching, and mentoring.

Pallavi’s research examines climate resilience in coastal cities with a focus on developing inclusive planning mechanisms and outcomes. Her work stands at the intersection of public policy, urban planning, and climate sciences, viewing coastal cities as socio-ecological systems with complex interdependencies that must be captured in urban climate resilience planning and policymaking. In her research, Pallavi utilizes various quantitative and qualitative methodologies, such as social network analysis, computational online text analysis, structural equation modelling, policy document analysis, and statistical methods.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow, Pallavi is studying select coastal cities in the U.S. and India to comparatively examine resilience planning processes and outcomes to further the common goal of achieving inclusive resilience in our cities. She did her bachelor’s in economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and her master’s in public policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. Her studies in Singapore were supported by a scholarship from the Li Ka Shing Foundation. She has presented her work at various conferences, both national and international. In her free time, Pallavi enjoys practicing Bharatnatyam, playing badminton, painting, and travelling.

Ashish Tiwari

Ashish Tiwari is currently a Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering at IIT Gandhinagar. He obtained his MTech in electrical engineering from IIT Gandhinagar in 2020. He is the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) 2020-2024. His research interest lies at the intersection of computer vision, computer graphics, and deep learning with a primary focus on inferring the 3D world from image(s) through photometric methods such as photometric stereo, Shape from Polarization (SfP), and photo-polarimetric stereo. He was awarded the Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (QIF) 2023-2024 for his project proposal, “Photometric Stereo for Refractive Objects.” He was a part of the core organizing team of ICVGIP 2022, held at IIT Gandhinagar. He was also a part of the Google Research Week 2023.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at Rice University, Houston, TX, Ashish is investigating a scene’s geometry, material, and lighting through a sparse set of images captured through hand-held acquisition devices such as smartphones. Ashish enjoys teaching and has delivered plenty of invited talks on his research on photometric stereo. He likes singing, sketching, playing outdoor sports, especially cricket, and long-hour endurance runs. He also enjoys interacting with people from different regions and cultures and involves himself in community services.

Ashish Tiwari

Ashish Tiwari graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal with a BTech and MTech in computer science and engineering in 2007. A 2012 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Ashish has held positions of ASP Jhansi, SP rural Varanasi, SP Mirzapur, SSP Etah, SP Jaunpur, SSP Ayodhya, Founder Commandant-Special Security Force (SSF), SP Election (Uttar Pradesh), and SSP Firozabad. He was recognized as one of the 40 promising global leaders in policing by the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police, U.S.A.), who mentioned him in their ‘40 under 40’ list in 2022. He also received the Young Alumni Achiever award from IIT Kharagpur.

Ashish is passionate about SMART (simple and sensitive, moral and modern, accountable, reliable and responsive, trained and technical) policing. He believes in technology, innovations, and entrepreneurial government with a people-centric approach. He has launched multiple technology initiatives to realize SMART policing, which have been institutionalized at the state level and have impacted millions of citizens. He is also a member of various committees, and has been a keynote speaker at many conferences on modernizing policing using technology. To empower women, Ashish has constituted a ‘green group’ of rural women to fight problems of drugs, alcohol, gambling, and domestic violence in various districts. Leveraging technology, under ‘Operation Smile’ in west Uttar Pradesh, Ashish has reunited hundreds of missing children and victims of child trafficking with their families. His innovative strategies in community policing, countering fake news, and digital governance have received public and professional appreciation and widespread media coverage. Ashish has received numerous accolades, including the FICCI smart police officer award, the SKOCH award, the gFiles governance award, triple DGP Commendation (silver, gold, and platinum) discs, and the State Award for Best Electoral Practices.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Ashish is engaged in developing innovative solutions for smart governance and smart policing at the intersection of technology, security, and development. He intends to work at both the federal and the state level to apply new technologies in security and governance.