Lucknow: He did not have access to English medium school in his formative years but that didn’t stop his dreams of studying abroad take wings.
And now, 23-year-old Mohit Kumar, son of a marginal farmer from Patti village, 67km from Firozabad, has not only become the top 10 scholars worldwide but also the first and the only Indian to bag the prestigious McCall MacBain scholarship offered by Canada’s McGill University.
Mohit will pursue a two-year Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership at the university.
“I am on cloud nine. Since my school days at VidyaGyan in Bulandshahr, I wanted to study abroad. It is a significant moment for me, my family and children of my village. This scholarship opens a window of global dreams for rural students,” said Mohit, who will be flying to Canada on August 10. His session will begin in first week of September. He said the scholarship entails mentorship, coaching and a leadership development programme. Each scholar was chosen based on their character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength and intellectual curiosity.
“We underwent a rigorous seven-month selection process, including a final round of interviews in Montréal. In all 33 students were called for final interview and 10 were shortlisted,” Mohit said.
Mohit has done his bachelor’s in history, international relations and Persian from a private university in Haryana. He recalls how the call letter from VidyaGyan in 2012 changed his life.
“I got the best mentors. It is here that I learnt to speak English. In class 11, I took SAT but had a low score. But it made me more determined to study abroad,” Mohit said.
Son of farmer Sheelendra Pratap and home-maker mother Meena Devi, Mohit cycled 20km daily to get extra time from his school teacher just to ensure he makes it to VidyaGyan.
“I used to wake up at 5am and then reach his home for tuition. After me, no child from my village qualified for VidyaGyan,” said Mohit.
Disappointed with this, Mohit started a project titled ‘Sarathi: The Guide’ in 2019 that aims to transform society by providing best education to the children so that they can become future leaders, breaking the centuries-old chain of child labour in Firozabad’s glasswork industries.
“Students are not only taught online but also helped by local volunteers in exploring different activities like book reading, computer learning and sports. Through our project, we believe that every child, including girls, will have a dream to pursue,” he said.
And now, 23-year-old Mohit Kumar, son of a marginal farmer from Patti village, 67km from Firozabad, has not only become the top 10 scholars worldwide but also the first and the only Indian to bag the prestigious McCall MacBain scholarship offered by Canada’s McGill University.
Mohit will pursue a two-year Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership at the university.
“I am on cloud nine. Since my school days at VidyaGyan in Bulandshahr, I wanted to study abroad. It is a significant moment for me, my family and children of my village. This scholarship opens a window of global dreams for rural students,” said Mohit, who will be flying to Canada on August 10. His session will begin in first week of September. He said the scholarship entails mentorship, coaching and a leadership development programme. Each scholar was chosen based on their character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength and intellectual curiosity.
“We underwent a rigorous seven-month selection process, including a final round of interviews in Montréal. In all 33 students were called for final interview and 10 were shortlisted,” Mohit said.
Mohit has done his bachelor’s in history, international relations and Persian from a private university in Haryana. He recalls how the call letter from VidyaGyan in 2012 changed his life.
“I got the best mentors. It is here that I learnt to speak English. In class 11, I took SAT but had a low score. But it made me more determined to study abroad,” Mohit said.
Son of farmer Sheelendra Pratap and home-maker mother Meena Devi, Mohit cycled 20km daily to get extra time from his school teacher just to ensure he makes it to VidyaGyan.
“I used to wake up at 5am and then reach his home for tuition. After me, no child from my village qualified for VidyaGyan,” said Mohit.
Disappointed with this, Mohit started a project titled ‘Sarathi: The Guide’ in 2019 that aims to transform society by providing best education to the children so that they can become future leaders, breaking the centuries-old chain of child labour in Firozabad’s glasswork industries.
“Students are not only taught online but also helped by local volunteers in exploring different activities like book reading, computer learning and sports. Through our project, we believe that every child, including girls, will have a dream to pursue,” he said.