Ashoka grad wins Chevening scholarship on first try, joins London School of Economics

Ashoka University graduate Ariba has won the Chevening Scholarship for a master's at LSE. She has described the moment with gratitude and credited mentors, family and colleagues for guiding her journey.Ashoka University graduate Ariba has moved to London after securing the Chevening Scholarship for a master's at LSE. (Photo: LinkedIn/Ariba)New Delhi,Oct 7, 2026 13:12 ISTAriba, an Ashoka University graduate, has won the UK's Chevening Scholarship and has joined the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).She is now pursuing a master’s in Media and Communications at the LSE, after being selected for the scholarship on her first attempt.Chevening is the UK government’s international scholarship programme for emerging leaders to pursue postgraduate study in the country. Its selection is competitive and provides scholars with funding for their studies in the UK.FROM ENGLISH TO MEDIA AT ASHOKAAriba completed her undergraduate studies at Ashoka University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Media Studies. Her academic record also includes courses spanning journalism, media, history and international relations. She later pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research in International Relations and History at Ashoka. Her academic interests included subjects such as media as peacebuilding, longform journalism, media, culture and society, and the rise of populism in international politics.CLASSROOM TO DIGITAL NEWSROOMHer academic path was followed by practical newsroom experience. Ariba worked with The Indian Express as a sub-editor, an experience she described as an opportunity to understand how a digital newsroom works while exploring journalistic interests beyond her immediate responsibilities. She had earlier interned with NDTV in 2022, where she worked on monitoring leads and trends across regional news channels during assembly elections.That mix of academic study and newsroom experience now feeds into her postgraduate course at LSE, which began in September. The programme examines contemporary issues in media and communications through theory, research and their application to wider social questions.A SCHOLARSHIP WIN, THEN LONDONSharing her Chevening selection on September 28, Ariba wrote that she was “over the moon and incredibly grateful” to have been chosen on her first attempt.She has also been selected as one of five recipients of the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Scholarship, offered by the Government of Jharkhand in partnership with Chevening Awards and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.Her first weeks in London brought a different kind of realisation. “Living in London for the past two weeks has been quite surreal,” she wrote, recalling how the city was once somewhere she had “only saw in the movies” and dreamed of visiting when she was 12.Now, with classes already under way, she is beginning the next part of that journey at LSE.- Ends