Dr. Sonali Kudva, Methodist University assistant professor of Communication & Media, has been selected for the Alex Trebek Legacy Award Fellowship through the Television Academy Foundation.

Since 2021, the Foundation has offered fellowships in honor of the late television icon and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek and financially supported the award winner’s trips to its three-day conference, held at the Television Academy’s North Hollywood campus in California Oct. 22-24. The conference connects college classrooms with the television industry by providing media professors with curriculum-enhancing seminars on the latest in the art, science and business of television with prominent leaders in entertainment.

Born and raised in India, Kudva holds three master’s degrees and a Ph.D. She began her career in journalism after being hired on the spot by a newspaper editor who saw her potential.

Kudva will participate in the academy’s engaging conference experience, which features behind-the-scenes opportunities, access to Netflix Studios, a Television Academy membership and networking opportunities with professionals in the industry.

As she prepares for her first trip to Los Angeles, Kudva says she’s eager to take it all in and bring that inspiration back to Methodist University.

“I’m proud to represent our students and our program,” Kudva said in a press release. “Every opportunity I have, I see it as a way to make their learning experience richer.”

As an educator in the Communication, Composition & Rhetoric Division at MU, Kudva is committed to fostering a student-centered learning environment that emphasizes critical thinking, media literacy and practical application. Her personal research agenda focuses on digital media use and its cultural impacts, including social media dynamics, misinformation and information behavior. Her current academic interests extend to the role of artificial intelligence in communication practices.

Kudva’s passion for teaching and work in the classroom doesn’t go unnoticed by her colleagues.

“Dr. Kudva is a gifted educator and is very popular with students,” said J.R. Hustwit, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Sciences, in a press release. “She is well known for provoking compelling classroom discussions about journalism, media ethics, and information literacy. I am impressed and pleased that she has been awarded the Trebek Fellowship, and grateful for the development opportunity it affords to media scholars.”