Hi there! My name is Asha, and I am a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, where I study global health, political science, and psychology. I was part of the 2021 Laidlaw Scholars cohort at UofT — my research summer focused on determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among ethnocultural minority communities in Canada, and my Leadership-in-Action project was with Tortoise Media in London, UK. I'm always eager to chat about topics in global health, particularly public health policy, planetary health, and health equity!
I was part of Trinity College's 2020 cohort of the Laidlaw Undergraduate Research & Leadership scholarship. My research dealt with European lobbying regulations. I hold a BA in Political Science in 2022 and an MSc in Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh. My current academic interests include foreign affairs and eco-social policies.
I was part of a team of four scholars who are working together with Durham University to research what makes a successful Multi-Academy Trust serving disadvantaged communities. In particular, we focused on the Laidlaw Schools Trust, which comprises seven schools in the North of England that predominantly serve disadvantaged pupils. Overall, this is part of the effort to reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers.
After that, I completed my LiA project by volunteering for the Youth & Community Project with Think Pacific in Fiji followed by a year abroad in Singapore.
Driven by my passion for travel and cultural exchange, I love trying new foods and enjoy meeting people to share ideas. Feel free to reach out!
I am a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar from the University of York, focusing my research on the question: How was the U.K. Labour Party changed their discourse and proposed to challenge domestic poverty and inequality since 2010?
I have been involved in Politics at a local, grassroots level, including community campaigning, and previously worked for Rachel Reeves MP in her constituency office. As a Politics student, I am interested in all things political and anything related to International Relations, with particular interest on the European Union, Women in Politics and International Development.
Fourth year UCL medic with an iBSc in Medical Anthropology. I am passionate about increasing access to medicine and am the Co-Founder of a student-led widening participation group, DIMA (Diversity in Medical Academia) @dimafoundation.