Two students of Indian origin have been named as Gates Cambridge Scholars, the University of Cambridge announced recently in a statement. The 90 new Scholars were selected from a total pool of around 6,000 applicants on the basis of their intellectual ability, commitment to improving the lives of others, leadership potential and academic fit with Cambridge.
The dozens of new scholars join nearly three dozen U.S. Scholars who were chosen earlier in the year — a list that included Indian Americans Sarita Deshpande and Angela Madira — to complete the full 90-scholar Gates Cambridge class. Among the international scholars named included Saloni Atal and Akhila Denduluri.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship aims to identify and select applicants who are academically outstanding and are likely to be transformative leaders across all fields of endeavor, the university said in its news release.
Departments in Cambridge nominated 424 candidates for the scholarships and, of these, 202 were interviewed in the U.S. and Cambridge by four panels of interviewers drawn from across the university.
“Gates Cambridge Scholars come from all over the world, but they have some important things in common: great leadership potential, a commitment to improving the lives of others and an unparalleled passion for learning,” Bill Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement. “Melinda and I are pleased to welcome the class of 2017. We have no doubt they will have an incredible impact on topics of global importance.”
