Rohit Kataria

Rohit Kataria is a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship Recipient at Vanderbilt University majoring in Public Policy Studies with a focus in Education Policy and a minor in Data Science. Raised in Appalachia with scarce educational opportunities, his passions lie in creating equitable access to education for students of all backgrounds.

For over 5 years, Rohit served as an Academic Organizing Team Member for the Kakdwip Manorama Tilottama Society where he helped create instructions and prize allocations for regional reading and spelling competitions in West Bengal, India. To further increase literacy in the region, he co-authored (alongside Tapan Bandyopadhyay) Spoken English for All, a non-profit book designed to teach conversational English skills to the students there. Additionally, with the goal of educating and encouraging students in Scioto County, Rohit founded and directed Equal Access Foundation, which provided free tutoring services to high school students in the region.

Using his earnings from his appearance in the Season 35 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament, Rohit started The Rohit Kataria Equal Access Scholarship Fund. This scholarship awards incoming undergraduate students who display extreme fortitude in the face of adversity.

Rohit has won multiple awards for his work, including being selected as part of Ohio’s Top 4 in 2020 for the DAR Good Citizen Award. He was also selected to attend Harvard Kennedy School’s Public Policy Leadership Conference, an honor bestowed upon a select group of promising undergraduate students who demonstrate strong potential for impacting the world through public service.