A Nepali student at University of North Carolina has received the David Merchant International Student Award for Achievement from the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars.

Rajan Puri, a doctoral student in mathematics at the university, won the award awarded by the Phi Beta Delta (PBD) Honor Society for International Scholars, an international organisation for individuals and institutions committed to promote and support international education and internationalisation endeavors. The award is presented to outstanding international students engaged in research to support and advance international education.

A news report posted on the university’s website states Puri finds time to support the Office of International Programs’ global endeavors. He has been a member of Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars since 2017 and a member of the University’s Global Graduate Student Committee. “As an active member of the Graduate School, Puri advocates for interconnectedness of the world through advancing mutual respect, cultural sensitivity and sharing rather than owning knowledge,” the report said.

The report said Pur has learned the use of educational technology, systems of evaluation, use of academic English and the culture of American academia. In addition to being a teaching assistant, he is a graduate life fellow at the Center for Graduate Life and president of the Mathematics Graduate Student Association. He has organised and promoted various events for the Graduate School and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics focusing on bridging the social, cultural and communication gap among fellow graduate students, the report reads further.