Chandigarh-Upakar Foundation proudly announces its 2024 class of Upakar Scholars. Continuing
its tradition of awarding undergraduate tuition and textbook scholarships to gifted high
school graduates, this year we collaborated with four generous donors. Upakar
continued its partnership with the Neetu Watumull Scholarship Program to award three
scholarships. The India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF) also partnered with
Upakar on one scholarship to further its mission of helping high achieving students
afford a quality college education. In addition, Upakar awarded one student the
Shrimati Kaushalya Butail Scholarship, one student the Shanti S. Gupta Memorial
Scholarship, and one student the Upakar Scholarship. Two students were each
awarded the Upakar Textbook Scholarship.
Upakar Scholars receive up to $8,000 each in tuition scholarship over their four years of
undergraduate studies. Textbook scholars receive a one-time award of $250 each.
This year’s Upakar Scholars from the Neetu Watumull Scholarship Program are Pari
Patel of South Plainfield NJ, attending Rutgers University; Ravneek Singh of San
Antonio TX, attending Texas A&M University—San Antonio; and Shivam Vachhani of
Corona CA, attending University of California Riverside.
This year’s recipient of the Upakar IDRF Scholarship is Safiya Ahmed of New
Braunfels TX, attending University of Texas at San Antonio.
This year’s recipient of the Upakar Shrimati Kaushalya Butail Scholarship is Gauri
Thoduvayilnelliot of Cincinnati OH, attending University of Cincinnati.
This year’s recipient of the Upakar Shanti S. Gupta Memorial Scholarship is Guniet
Dhillon of Seattle WA, attending University of Washington.
This year’s recipient of the Upakar Scholarship is Alina Roy of Duluth GA, attending
University of North Georgia.
This year’s batch of seven Upakar Scholars join 17 current Scholars who have been
renewed for the 2024-2025 academic year.
In addition, two deserving students were awarded the Upakar Textbook Scholarship.
This year’s recipients are Pia Saha of Sugar Land TX and Chiraag Sharma of Fort
Worth TX.
Upakar President Jyotsna Gupta Jalil expressed the organization’s support of our
Scholars, saying “Upakar is committed to helping our Scholars complete their
undergraduate degrees and pursue their career goals. The longer term disruptions
caused by COVID continue to be felt by high school students and their families. We will
support Upakar Scholars who need some flexibility during their undergraduate studies in
order to earn their college degrees.”
Upakar is a 501(c) 3 all-volunteer organization, and over 95% of donated funds go
towards scholarships. Your donation may be tax deductible based on your tax situation.
Upakar was founded in 1997 in the Washington DC metropolitan area to provide highly
qualified college-bound Indian-American students with need-based tuition assistance so
that they could graduate without a crushing burden of college debt. According to a 2024
analysis by the Pew Research Center, approximately 6% of Indians in the US live in
poverty. US Census Bureau data for 2023 set the average poverty threshold for a
family of four at $31,200. Since its inception, Upakar has awarded more than $1 million
in scholarships.
In order to qualify for an Upakar Scholarship, students must meet the criteria of being
born in India or who have at least one Indian-born parent. The scholar must be a U.S.
citizen or permanent resident. Financial need is determined by the family’s adjusted
gross income. Scholars must have attained a raw high school GPA above 3.6. Finally,
as long as a scholar’s GPA exceeds 3.3 in college, Upakar will renew the $2,000 annual
scholarship for up to four years. Upakar Community College Scholarships provide $500
per year for up to two years; and if the Scholar transfers to a 4-year program, Upakar
will increase its commitment to $2,000 annually until the Scholar has received a total of
four years of scholarship support. Upakar Textbook Scholarships are one-time awards
of $250.
Upakar scholarship applications for 2025 will be available in February 2025. The
submission deadline will be April 30, 2025.
To learn more about our organization, donating, or setting up a named scholarship,