Meet Our India Fulbrighters Archive

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.

Shantanu Kumar

Dr. Shantanu Kumar is a Junior Resource Person at the Linguistic Data Consortium for Indian Languages, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. He is primarily a linguist with a passion for leveraging technology, pedagogy, and data-driven research to advance language technologies, particularly for Indian languages. He holds a PhD and an MA in Linguistics from the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, respectively. He contributed to developing Maithili Anulekhika, a pioneering speech recognition tool that marks the first instance of speech technology support for Maithili, a low-resource language.

As a multilingual team leader, Dr. Kumar is dedicated to bridging traditional linguistic knowledge with technological innovation and rigorous academic standards. He has been instrumental in creating numerous datasets crucial to language technology development. He has coordinated numerous workshops and conferences related to computational linguistics, data collection, and language documentation. He has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on topics related to corpus and computational linguistics. He is passionate about language documentation, digital humanities, and inclusive language technologies, with a long-term vision to integrate linguistic heritage with cutting-edge AI applications.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Dr. Kumar is teaching Hindi at the Department of Asian Studies, University of Texas at Austin. He is actively engaged in exploring American cultural diversity and promoting India’s social and linguistic heritage. His future aspirations include establishing inter-university collaborations through the adoption of trans-disciplinary approaches in language learning and teaching.

Pragya Sengupta

Dr. Pragya Sengupta is an Assistant Professor of English at VIT-AP University. She completed her MPhil in 2012 and PhD in 2021 from the Centre for Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies, University of Hyderabad, under the supervision of Dr. Sriparna Das. Her research interests dwell mainly in indigenous knowledge systems, cultural memory, and translation as resistance. With a strong interdisciplinary approach, her work bridges literature, ethnography, and cultural studies. She has published articles in journals such as Translation Today, Explorations and Apni Maati. She has also translated academic works in the journal named Encounters in Translation.

Beyond academia, Dr. Sengupta channels her passion for comedy and drama as a writer and performer. She translates between English, Hindi, and Bengali, and is an active member of International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) and Comparative Literature Association of India (CLAI). In 2024, she attended the Translation Research Summer School at Shanghai, China.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Dr. Sengupta is teaching Hindi at Ohio University, Athens. She is getting the learners to engage with Hindi not only through its grammar and vocabulary but through lived culture. During this program, she is introducing the learners to Hindi as well as its regional dialects and creating space to explore the broader non-Hindi linguistic traditions of India. To spark curiosity and deeper cultural connection, she envisions using Bollywood movies, short and engaging literary texts, collaborative events, and Indian art exhibitions.

Jaya Upadhyay

Dr. Jaya Upadhyay is Assistant Professor of English literature and language communication at DIT University, Dehradun. She keeps her lessons interesting by linking them with diverse cultural stories. During her graduate studies in English Literature, she formed a deep interest in exploring narratives, which later translated into the study of gendered discourse in Indian screen narratives as her doctoral topic. She completed her PhD in 2019 from the University of Lucknow. The examination of cultural life is an enduring passion that Jaya is unfolding through research and writing articles, some of which have been published in the Web of Science and Scopus.

A notable experience adding to Dr. Upadhyay’s personal and professional growth was her time as a “Fellow in Ideas 2021” at Harrison Middleton University in Arizona. This online fellowship offered her a chance to engage in conversations on subjects ranging from apple picking to robotics. It was here that she was formally introduced to the Socratic method of discussion, which has enriched her teaching and learning experience.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Dr. Upadhyay will be teaching Hindi at Yale University. She is planning to bridge common symbols and analogies between Indian and American cultures in innovative ways to enrich the learner’s experience. She is confident that her time at Yale will benefit her teaching skills and provide a fresh perspective on building interactions, holding discussions, and incorporating modern technology in classrooms while adding to her personal development.