PhD student Mohit Dudeja Wins Pradeep Khare Memorial Scholarship

PhD student Mohit Dudeja has been selected as the first place winner of the Pradeep Khare Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship awarded to international students from India who demonstrate “exceptional leadership and community involvement, promising career aspirations, outstanding academic achievement, and a desire to continue serving the community after attaining their educational goals.”

Mohit’s doctoral research—tentatively titled Transglobal Queer Identities: Experiences of Indian Queer International Students in Small Canadian Cities—will explore the experiences of queer international research participants, with questions including: How does being queer shape your educational experiences and daily life in a small city in Canada? What support systems are available for you, as a queer international student? How accessible are the support systems to you?

Mohit plans to interview participants to learn whether they feel safe on campus to express their gender and/or sexual identity, and what resources and support systems they might need from their university.

“Ultimately, I want to foster progressive change in the education system,” he says. “Recommendations from my research will add to the emerging body of work on queer concerns in the internationalization of education. I also seek to contribute to the academic conversation on queer inclusion in education, and to provide practical and operational assistance to schools, curriculum developers, and policymakers.”

Mohit has worked with various non-profit organizations in India and is the founder of Mendlife Foundation, a volunteer-based organization dedicated to helping underprivileged youth in Delhi attain a quality education and sustainable livelihood. Mohit has also developed a sustainable system to provide subsidized mental health services to members in marginalized communities. In Thunder Bay, he volunteers with Thunder Bay Counselling on a community youth program called “CHOICES.”

Mohit’s supervisor, Dr. Gerald Walton (Professor, Thunder Bay) notes that “this scholarship is a prestigious and competitive award, and I am elated about Mohit’s success!”

Congratulations, Mohit!