Anuj Gandhi is a Fulbright Scholar. A year after being chosen as an alternate, Gandhi has been chosen for a Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Award.

“As a child of Indian immigrants, I have long dreamed of connecting further with my roots and motherland, and the Fulbright program was a perfect opportunity to both further my career and deepen my personal identity,” he said. 

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers opportunities to graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. 

With the Award, the recent Saint Louis University graduate intends to “investigate how globalization-based acculturation influences Indian young adults’ attitudes toward mental health and treatment options.” 

“I plan to conduct an independent research study investigating the effect of globalization-based acculturation on the cultural identity, mental health, and treatment attitudes of Indian young adults in Mumbai,” he said. “As metropolitan areas in India become increasingly globalized, young adults are often faced with two dichotomous cultural influences, thus a split cultural identity which may affect their mental health and attitudes towards treatment — Western or Indian.”

Rebecca Muich, Ph.D., director of the Saint Louis University Honors Program, praised Gandhi for his efforts to earn the award.

“Anuj's award is especially notable because he was chosen by Fulbright as an alternate last year and returned to the competition with renewed determination this year,” she said. “Our campus review process is rigorous, and Anuj committed to application review and interviewing with studiousness and grace. He had to continually articulate his ideas and defend his project design, and he ultimately submitted a superior proposal.”

Muich said the Fulbright process is rigorous and time-consuming. 

“Applying for a research award is both ambitious and grueling,” she said. “Research award applicants must develop a complete research plan that justifies nine months of research and living in another country; they must build institutional affiliations on the ground in their target country to sponsor their work, and they need to think ahead to potential deliverables for the research they complete. Many research grant applicants are enrolled in master's or doctoral programs and are applying for funding to complete research they intend to use to meet their degree requirements. This is not the case for Anuj -- this was a project he conceived of as an undergraduate, and has been working to refine it since his first application in fall of 2024.”

Gandhi was one of six semifinalists from Saint Louis University announced earlier this year. All six semifinalists were supported by the Competitive Scholarships and Fellowships Office at SLU. The office supports all SLU students who are interested in applying for competitive national grants, including graduate students and recent alumni. A select list of options is available on the office’s website. Any student interested in learning more can fill out a brief survey.