Srija Dutta

William L. Monroe Sr. joined Elon as a student in 1917. While there he sought out two mentors who exemplified his values: a friendly attitude, good citizenship, personal growth, and the desire to help others. Starting in 1950, thirty-two years after Mr. Monroe left Elon, the award has been given to two students whose characteristics also shine. This year, we recognize and celebrate the 67th pair of students to receive this award. I have no doubt Mr. Monroe would be most pleased with this year’s recipients.

Srija Dutta is a senior and a double major in Public Health Studies and International and Global Studies, with minors in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Interreligious Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. She is described by her nominators as being driven by her values and having a desire to make the world a better place for all. This is reflected not just in her in-classroom academics, but also in the experiences she seeks outside the Elon walls. As a sophomore, she completed a public health practicum with the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed, India, that gave her the opportunity to explore women’s health and empowerment and multifaith experiences. She actively sought new perspectives from her peers, the people with whom she worked, and the people she served.

When she returned to Elon she applied, and was one of five rising juniors selected, to be a Multifaith Scholar – an academic program that offers scholarship support for ambitious scholarly endeavors that include undergraduate research. Srija’s plan was to partner with an NGO in Kolkata, India, to investigate whether there is correlation between caste, religion, and health outcomes among the women utilizing the NGO’s services. Unfortunately, the COVID-10 outbreak forced Srija to cancel her travel plans and rethink her research. She not only was incredibly resilient, but her intellectual and personal flexibility helped motivate and inspire other Multifaith Scholars who were experiencing similar setbacks and disappointments. She stepped forward as a leader among her peers and in her senior year has successfully, conducted her new research study titled: South Asian College-Aged Women and the Influence of Religion and Cultural Factors on Sexual Decision-Making.

Srija’s professors describe her as deeply curious, enthusiastic, and engaged. She is a model for other students in her classes and asks questions that expand upon the current reading and assignments and weave in broader perspectives about social justice, gender equity, and economic inequality. She is “a shining light during a time in our history when our individual, local, national, and global communities have been challenged by a global health crisis, as well as racial, economic, and political divisions.”

Congratulations to Srija on your recognition as a recipient of the 2021 Monroe Award.