Renuka Ganga Jekkilenki has been selected as the first recipient of the Michele Mukerji Scholarship established this year. Renuka studied at Sarda Vidyalyam since Grade 1, where she had excelled in her studies and also impressed everyone with her comportment. After Grade 7, she continued her studies at a private school, where despite the change in language of instruction from Telugu to English, her academic excellence continued. Further pursuing her educational career, she completed her junior college and after being successful in a nationwide competitive selection process, has now been accepted in the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering program at Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

Renuka is the second child and eldest of two daughters. She comes from an underprivileged family, where her father, although trained as a technician, has never been able to get permanent employment and her mother is illiterate.

Michele Mukerji scholarship is awarded to a student of Sarda Vidyalayam, who has displayed the most capacity and determination to pursue higher education, while displaying high personal values. Its purpose is to enable a promising young person from a socio-economically deprived background to attain his or her higher educational goals. Amitabh Mukerji of Ottawa has set up the scholarship in memory of his late wife. Both Amitabh and Michele were well acquainted with the efforts of Dr. Chandra Sankurathri, and their younger son Jaideep had spent 4 months as a volunteer in Kakinada in early 2001.

Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the scholarship fund can contact MSMF (info@msmf.ca).