Incoming English PhD student wins Presidential Fellowship

Priyadarshini Oshin Gogoi, an incoming Creative Writing Ph.D. student, is the winner of the University of Georgia's Presidential Fellowship Award. It is the University’s most prestigious award for graduate students, made to the most qualified doctoral trainees. The award consists of a $10,000 supplemental award for four years, in addition to the assistantship provided by the English Department. During that time The Graduate School will pay mandatory student fees, provide travel support of $1,000 per year, offer regular programming that emphasizes professional / leadership development, and host regular meetings with senior university leadership.

“Thank you so much to the University of Georgia for the trust and investment that it has placed in my work. What drew me to UGA's Creative Writing program was how strongly it nurtures writers and scholars of postcolonial, South Asian, Northeast Indian, and Indigenous literature, and its fantastic faculty that I almost can't believe I now get to work with! I'm thrilled to join this wonderful and vibrant creative community, and look forward to scaling new artistic heights with my peers and mentors.”

-Priyadarshini Oshin Gogoi

"Our program is delighted that Priyadarshini has been awarded a Presidential Scholarship! This distinction confirms that the university administration beyond the English Department has recognized her achievements and potential. Over the past several years CWP has distinguished itself by attracting many talented Anglophone writers from Asia and Africa. Priyadarshini is a wonderful addition to our program. "

-Dr. Magdalena Zurawski, Director of Creative Writing Program

"We are delighted to welcome Priyadarshini Oshin Gogoi to our department. She will be part of a strong cohort of promising writers, a new generation of students who will shape the future of our program. As the University's most prestigious award for graduate students, the Presidential Fellowship will hopefully allow her to continue to pursue her creative projects with renewed energy at her new institution."

-Dr. Roland Végső

Priyadarshini Oshin Gogoi is a Presidential Fellow at the University of Georgia. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University of Ohio, and a BA and MA in English Literature from the University of Delhi. Her areas of interest include postcolonial, South Asian, and Northeast Indian coming of age writing, as well as children's and young adult literature. 

Priyadarshini is also a children's author, and many of her picture books have won acclaim across India, including the Bangalore Literature Festival Prize 2023, the FICCI Children's Book of the Year Prize 2024, a Neev Book Award 2024 shortlist, as well as features in the Parag Honor List 2022 and 2024. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in The Bombay Review, The Selkie UK, The Alipore Post, etc.