QS World Merit Undergraduate Scholarship: 2022 winner

We’re pleased to announce the winner of the 2022 QS World Merit Undergraduate Scholarship is Riya Sharma. 

First launched in 2017, the scholarship awards up to US$5,000 to one student starting their first year of a bachelor’s degree at any QS-ranked university. This scholarship is for applicants who are keen to transform the world and contribute to the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the help of their education.   

We caught up with Riya to learn more about her study plans and how she managed to start her own non-profit.  

Due to my non-profit being a result of my intertwining interests in biology, education, and policy, founding it was an exhilarating but challenging process. Biology for Better is a non-profit advocating for educational equity in STEM by supplementing STEM education in rural schools around the world.  

Starting from just nine board members, by conducting weekly meetings, setting action steps, and recruiting volunteers, we expanded to a family of over 200. From brainstorming with the marketing team on how best to encourage the youth to join, to creating lesson plans with the directors of education in collaboration with school administrators, I not only learned about the inner workings of a sector I hope to join, but also built relationships with a group of passionate people.  

Convincing volunteers to come on board was initially a daunting task, but excitement is infectious. Through social media campaigns, posters, magazines, blog posts, and webinars, we raised awareness of the power education has to reshape lives. By tapping into the potential of the youth, we were able to create a global community to advance SDG 4: Quality Education.