Ashoka Alumna Become First Indians to Win McCall MacBain Global Scholarship 

Mohit Kumar and Kiran Sahani, both graduates from the class of 2023 have been awarded the prestigious McCall MacBain Global Scholarship. While Mohit was the first and only Indian to win this award in 2023, Kiran became the only South Asian recipient of the McCall MacBain Scholarship in 2024. 

The McCall MacBain Scholarships are Canada’s largest leadership-based scholarships for master’s and professional studies, designed to encourage purposeful leadership amongst young scholars. Mohit, pursued an Advanced major in History and International Relations at Ashoka, while Kiran holds a degree in Biology and specialised in Sociology and Anthropology during her fourth year. As finalists for the McCall Macbain Scholarships, they distinguished themselves through qualities such as community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic prowess, and intellectual curiosity – all central tenets of an Ashokan education. Their stories of impact and the projects they have worked on revolve around the social causes they care for. Much of this was made possible through the support provided by Ashoka faculty and the various Centres and offices at Ashoka.

In 2021, Mohit stepped into the world of social impact – he was chosen for the UN Millennium Fellowship. The Fellowship gave him an opportunity to scalehis project, Sarathi: The Guide, which aims to provide inclusive and quality education to the children of his community, back home in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. 

Reflecting on the role that Ashoka played in preparing him well for the next phase in his life, he said, “Ashoka provided me with quality education to practise critical thinking and writing skills. Similarly, the equitable opportunities helped me work with different offices, widening my horizon of understanding and improving my skill set, especially when it came to research and professional development. This helped me in the holistic application process of the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill.” Pursuing his passion for making quality education accessible, Mohit is currently enrolled in the master’s programme in Educational Leadership at McGill University. 

Kiran, too ran her own venture, Jagran, a community-based club where she organised 100+ street plays, puppet shows and campaigns addressing various social issues. During her time at Ashoka, she benetted from a truly interdisciplinary curriculum – bringing together diverse subjects such as Biology and Sociology. Along with a stellar academic record, she also served as a mentor to resident assistants, learning and exercising the intricacies of being a young leader. Expressing her gratitude for this opportunity, Kiran stated, “Receiving this prestigious scholarship is an incredible honour that fills me with gratitude and joy. I am deeply committed to leveraging this opportunity to further my mission of advocating for equity, empowerment, and access to education.” Having witnessed health challenges faced by marginalised communities, Kiran has decided to pursue a degree in public health at McGill.

Both Mohit and Kiran have been students on aid at Ashoka University, made possible through support from Ashoka’s donors. Both of them have taken their learnings from Ashoka to create impactful, meaningful change in their fields.