Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant
Namaste!
Wesleyan University welcomes Yagnya as the 2026-27 Fulbright FLTA for Hindi. She comes from Delhi, the capital city of India known for its rich cultural and political history enshrined in its architectural heritage. Yagnya is passionate about sharing the vibrant tapestry of her homeland’s culture. She is a dedicated scholar, holding a Bachelor’s degree in English and History along with a Master’s degree in English from University of Delhi. She plans to pursue a PhD focused on the fascinating intersection of gender, sexuality, cultural gerontology, and spatial studies. Her academic work includes articles written on graphic narratives exploring the concept of freedom along with various pieces of poetry on war, humanity, and philosophical inquiries into the nature of truth, and she has presented papers at various international and national conferences.
In her role as an FLTA for Hindi, Yagnya is committed to creating an immersive and learner-centric classroom. As a cultural ambassador of India, she brings her love for Indian literature, art, and media into her teaching to foster a dynamic and engaging learning environment. She also has experience teaching underprivileged children through the Robin Hood Army, Rahat: the East Delhi Chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding students studying in the government schools in India. She also holds experience in academic writing and editing, working as an online asynchronous tutor for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students across the globe. Moreover, she holds a Certificate in Mandarin Chinese from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi which she passed with distinction, along with an interest in global geopolitics reflected by her participation in various MUNs where she was awarded the best delegate award for International Press. Beyond her academic pursuits, Yagnya is a devoted dancer with over eight years of training in the Indian classical dance, Kathak. She also holds various certifications such as Gender Studies Understanding and Applying Feminist Theory, Gender Sensitization, as well as Queerness And Society underscoring her interest in the ways different parts of identities conflate, conflict, and create new avenues of self-expression.
For Yagnya, this opportunity to teach at Wesleyan is a chance to deepen her intellectual horizons and immerse herself in American culture while building meaningful connections with people from diverse backgrounds. She views this experience to be an embodiment of the spirit of storytelling embedded in the dance form कथक (Kathak) which means कथा सुनाने वाला (story-teller) because she believes that every human being carries a rich story within themselves that can be conveyed through the use of music, dance, and language, thereby weaving the individual within the fabric of words and making the process of language learning a deeply personalized experience.
Yagnya can be reached via email; yyagnya@wesleyan.edu, at the language table on Tuesdays and Thursdays 12pm-1pm in Usdan, or at her office hours Friday, 12pm-2pm in Fisk Hall, 301. Please see her events along with other GSAS events here.
2026-27
