Former ‘Outstanding Freshman’ creates scholarship for Indian students

When Tushar Chaudhry arrived at then-Troy State University in 2001, it was a major cultural shift from his home in India. But he credits one thing with helping him make the transition and find success—his engaged and helpful professors.

“I was surrounded by fantastic professors who helped me and encouraged me,” Tushar said. “Dr. Govind Menon, Dr. Pat Rossi in Mathematics and the best history professor you could ever wish for, Dr. Mike Welch. Troy was a very good place. Because of the small class sizes, the professors were quite approachable.”

With support from his professors, Tushar soon found himself at home at TROY, enjoying attending football games and finding success in the classroom. He was named Outstanding Freshman in 2002.

After three semesters at TROY, Tushar transferred to Louisiana State University to finish his degree. Although his time at TROY was relatively brief, he looks back at that time as influential in his career. Now, he is giving back to TROY with the hope of opening creating similar opportunities for other students from his home country.

TROY alumnus Tushar Chaudhry being presenting the Outstanding Freshman award in 2002.

Tushar recently made a financial gift to establish the B.N. Saran Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship supports students from India pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors at the Troy Campus.

“I chose to invest back in TROY to recognize and appreciate what they have done for me,” Tushar said.

Looking back on his time at TROY, Tushar said there were limited scholarship options for international students at that time. He hopes his scholarship will ease the financial burden for students following in his footsteps.

“Life as a student can be tough financially speaking, and I hope this rewards people in a monetary fashion for the hard work they have done,” he said.

The scholarship is named for Tushar’s grandfather, who he credits with helping him develop a strong work ethic.

“He was my mentor growing up, and I wanted to honor him,” Tushar said.

After completing a bachelor’s degree at LSU and earning a master’s from Rice, Tushar went to work for Chevron, a career he has had for 13 years and which has taken him around the world. Today, he works for the company in London.

Still, he credits his TROY professors for setting him on path to career success.“They took an active interest in my personal journey as a student,” Tushar said.