Raj Mehta Memorial Scholarship
A need-based scholarship at the Pratt School of Engineering.
The family of Raj Mehta E’22 has established a need-based scholarship at the Pratt School of Engineering in memory of Raj, who passed away in March 2020.
The Raj Mehta Memorial Scholarship will support tuition, room and board as part of Duke’s commitment to meeting students’ financial aid needs.
About Raj
Raj was born at Duke Hospital on April 15, 2000, and since then he was a Blue Devil at heart. When he was 8, he plastered his room with Duke and Harry Potter decals, so the joke was that he would have to go to Duke or Hogwarts. When he got accepted into Duke, he was ecstatic that he would get to be a Duke Engineer.
Raj was a man of many talents. While he was extremely smart in the classroom, he was also very driven in all his hobbies and passions. Raj was a second-degree black belt in Karate, an expert drummer, a star on the Duke Bhangra team and active member of the Camp Kesem community. Raj was a fitness expert, car enthusiast, and a technology wiz.
Above all, Raj was everyone’s friend. Whether he met someone briefly or knew someone since childhood, he had the effortless ability to connect with the person. His smile was contagious. He was there to party with his friends but also when they were feeling low. Social justice was always on his mind and he aspired to use technology to make the world a more just and equitable place.
He leaves a lasting impact across Duke though the Pratt school, and his SigEp, Dhamaka, and Camp Kesem families. He will be dearly missed by his friends, his family, and the Duke community.
To Contribute
The Mehta family is grateful to everyone who has already contributed to this cause. While the family is not actively seeking contributions, the site is open to those who do have a desire to contribute.
Please click the button if you would like to make a gift to support the Raj Mehta Memorial Scholarship:
Contact
For other ways to make a gift in support of the scholarship, please contact Jim Ruth or any member of the Pratt Development team.
‘Life of the party’ is a fitting term. He’d smile, and we would all smile. He’d laugh and we would all laugh. He was magnetic.
Raj, you always had a level of confidence and comfortability with people that everyone wanted to replicate. Raj, you had impact to make little things around you make fun and made the forgettable moments unforgettable. Thank you for being a best friend.
Raj was one of the few people I have ever met who had the ability to seemingly make people happy in an instant, whenever I saw him, I always felt happy.
Your intelligence will always amaze me. Not only were you brilliant, but you craved learning. You would always engage me in anything from political debates to talking about the capabilities of the newest Apple product. I like to think that you still live on in all of us because of the impact that you had on everyone and making everyone you crossed paths with a better person.
You were going to change the world. But I realize now that you already did change it by being such a bright light in my life.
It is literally impossible to think of anything close to negative to say about the kid. His passion and enthusiasm was infectious. Every time you had a conversation with him you left it happier, He truly cared about the people around him and was interested in their passions and goals.
I am never going to forget that smile, or the genuine, loving and hardworking person that was behind it. You immediately became friends with everyone you talked to on the team. I promise to keep your spirit with me for the rest of my life.
He was someone who lit up every room he went into and someone who knew just what to say to lift up your mood. The world needs more people like him, ones with passion, drive and the biggest hearts spreading good energy and happiness.
Raj managed to be kind, loyal, trustworthy, yet always so excited and lively. He had that personality that made it so easy for everyone around him to be themselves. Raj, I hope and wish that I was half the friend that you were to me. I know you will continue to be the selfless and joyous person touching lives wherever you are.