Neha Srinivasan, Elvis Jacob Stahr Jr. Award (2020 Senior Awards)

Congratulations to Neha Srinivasan, one of the 2020 Stahr Award recipients. Neha is completing her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in International Studies with a minor in Business.

Academic Achievements 

As a Herman B Wells scholar, Neha’s academic achievements led to her receiving internship opportunities specifically related to her major in international studies. She was an intern to Adam Hitchcock, former Chief of Staff to the Council of Economic Advisers to President Barack Obama and an intern in the US House of Representatives Committee on the Budget where she conducted research in preparation for Budget Committee hearings. In addition, she served as a  policy and legal intern in the Kentucky Senate Democratic Leadership and in the Kentucky Department of Education. She has also studied abroad in Ecuador and is a Foreign Language and Area Studies federal grant recipient for the study of critical languages where she studied Kichwa.

Campus and Community Involvement 

At IU, she was the Vice President of the Global Student Seven Advisory Board, and a member of the Board of Aeons, and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious honor society to promote excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.  Neha also was the co-captain for IU HoosierRaas Dance Team who recently received national recognition.  After winning the group’s first trophy in nine years last season, she was proud of her dance team members’ dedication to cultural production and representation.  Neha also volunteered with Hands 4 Others in Bloomington where she helped host a speaker series on the global and local refugee crisis here at IU.

Acknowledgements  

Neha enjoyed every step of her journey here at Indiana University.  When reflecting on her experiences here she said, “Author Jorge Luis Borges once said, ‘that not a day goes by in which we are not, at some moment, in paradise.’ I am immensely grateful for all the professors, mentors, and peers who have made IU not only feel like home, but like paradise. I must give specific thanks to the Wells

Scholar Program, the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for guiding me kindly and passionately throughout the past four years. And ultimately, my foremost gratitude goes to my ancestors, parents, and brother who have encouraged me to dance through life’s challenges, understand the humanity in each person, and always act for the greater good.”