6 Indian Americans among 2019 Marshall Scholarship recipients

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Six Indian Americans have received the 2019 Marshall Scholarship from the British Government.

Among the scholars were Mallika Balakrishnan of Agnes Scott College, Akshayaa Chittibabu of the University of Connecticut, Deepti Kannan of Stanford University, Vaibhav Mohanty of Harvard University, Aneesh Pappu of Stanford University, and Shomik Verma of Duke University, according to a press release.

The six will head to the U.K. to continue their education and will study at the University of St. Andrews, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, respectively, in the fall.

The 2019 class is also the most diverse class in history with over 40 percent from minority backgrounds and with 29 women.

In fact, this is the largest class in the scholarship program’s 65-year history and a total of 48 undergraduate students from across the United States were selected.

“This class embodies the qualities that bind our two countries: a spirit of collaboration, an intellectual curiosity and a commitment to education and diversity,” Sir Kim Darroch, British Ambassador to the United States, is quoted saying in a press release. “The British Government is proud to welcome these scholars to their studies in the UK. The scholarship program has never been stronger and is a wonderful demonstration of the strength of our transatlantic bond.”

Overall, the 2019 class represents a wide range of academic backgrounds, including Guinness World Record holders, award-winning independent filmmakers, Division I athletes, TedX speakers, accomplished poets and four service academy graduates who will begin service in the U.S. Military upon completion of their degrees, a press release said.

Winners were selected following a rigorous and high-competitive selection process that drew over 1,000 applications from top undergraduate students representing institutions across the United States.