Nashik: Om Upadhyaya, B A first-year student was selected for the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Globar UGARD) scholarship. He is the only youth from the State to be selected by the US Consulate of Mumbai.
Om will study in the third semester (second year) at the University of South Dakota in the USA between August and December 2024 and represent India.
The scholarship is worth Rs 30 lakh, which includes all the expenses, from visa, flight ticket to college, food and hostel fees, enrichment and a stipend. His father Dayashankar Upadhyaya is a retired senior executive from a private firm.
He said that three rounds of selection were conducted by the US Consulate and Embassy while the final selection was done by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Om said that the final selection was marked after clearing the TOEFL (English proficiency exam). He received a visa on June 21, 2024.
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Selection criteria
He was selected for the scholarship on the basis of given criteria. Some of the points of criteria are as follows;
--Academic record ( school, college grades)
--- Extracurricular activities ( published books, research papers, culture well-being, sports)
--Volunteer experience:- Helping people and NGO experience.