Udaya Shanmugam is a Global Grant Scholar who will pursue a PhD in Psychosocial Peacebuilding at Griffith University in Australia. Udaya is sponsored by Rotary District 7070 (Ontario).
As a child, Udaya experienced the devastating effects of the Sri Lankan civil war before finding refuge in Canada with her family. Those experiences inspired a career dedicated to conflict resolution, trauma recovery, and human rights. Through years of work with refugees, Indigenous communities, and humanitarian organizations, she has seen firsthand that lasting peace requires more than political agreements—it requires healing individuals and strengthening communities.
Udaya is a storyteller and a peace activist. She is a certified Yoga and meditation teacher dedicated to decolonizing and reclaiming the Indigenous practice of Yoga. Udaya is the founder and director of the Yoga for Peace Project, a social enterprise that delivers free yoga programs for families affected by conflict to end cycles of violence.
In 2023, Udaya received the prestigious Rotary Peace Fellowship in recognition of her decade-long career in the international peacebuilding sector including with the United Nations. Through the fellowship, she completed a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland. She also holds a Master’s in Criminology and Law from the University of Toronto. Udaya has worked with human rights organizations in Kenya, Palestine, Sri Lanka and Lesvos. She is a certified mediator and negotiator. Udaya is most at home on an island surrounded by the ocean.
Every contribution to The Rotary Foundation helps create opportunities that change lives—not only for individual scholars but also for the communities they will serve for years to come. Global Grant scholarships are one of Rotary's most powerful investments, supporting talented professionals whose education advances Rotary's Areas of Focus while creating lasting, sustainable impact.
Global Grant scholarships create lasting impact because they invest in people. By supporting scholars like Udaya, Rotary is helping develop leaders whose research, knowledge, and service will continue to strengthen communities long after their studies are complete.
When you give to The Rotary Foundation, you're doing more than funding a scholarship. You're helping someone turn lived experience into meaningful action, advancing peace one community, one family, and one life at a time. That's the enduring power of your generosity.
In 2023, Udaya received the prestigious Rotary Peace Fellowship in recognition of her decade-long career in the international peacebuilding sector including with the United Nations. Through the fellowship, she completed a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland. She also holds a Master’s in Criminology and Law from the University of Toronto. Udaya has worked with human rights organizations in Kenya, Palestine, Sri Lanka and Lesvos. She is a certified mediator and negotiator. Udaya is most at home on an island surrounded by the ocean.
Every contribution to The Rotary Foundation helps create opportunities that change lives—not only for individual scholars but also for the communities they will serve for years to come. Global Grant scholarships are one of Rotary's most powerful investments, supporting talented professionals whose education advances Rotary's Areas of Focus while creating lasting, sustainable impact.
Global Grant scholarships create lasting impact because they invest in people. By supporting scholars like Udaya, Rotary is helping develop leaders whose research, knowledge, and service will continue to strengthen communities long after their studies are complete.
When you give to The Rotary Foundation, you're doing more than funding a scholarship. You're helping someone turn lived experience into meaningful action, advancing peace one community, one family, and one life at a time. That's the enduring power of your generosity.