Hi I'm

Prithvi Dua

Founder, Civic Lane | Author, "India Begins with Me" | Diana Award Recipient 2026 | Young Changemaker Award (YES Awards) Recipient 2025| CREST Gold Awardee – Published Researcher, International Relations

I'm Prithvi, a high school student in Dubai interested in international relations and political theory. I founded Civic Lane, an initiative that has brought civic rights and government-benefits education to over 3,400 students across 15 schools in rural Bihar, and co-authored India Begins with Me, a book built on its curriculum.

I'm especially interested in great-power competition, political economy, and comparative governance. I've explored these through summer programs at Columbia and Brown, as a Yale Young Global Scholar and Civic Unplugged Fellow, and through essays that were shortlisted for the John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition and received an Honorable Mention at Cambridge Re:think.

Outside the classroom, I'm an avid Model UN and debate participant and currently serve as Crisis Director for Jumeirah College Model UN. I'm also Gemstone Captain at Jumeirah College Dubai, and I founded the History Club and Diplomacy Decoded, a student society that explores IR theory through current events.

Competitions & Fellowships

John Locke Institute

Received Certificate of Recognition at John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition, 2025 - for essay titled "Should Anyone Be Ashamed of Their Nation's History? Should Anyone Be Proud of It?"

I wrote an essay titled "Should Anyone Be Ashamed of Their Nation's History? Should Anyone Be Proud of It?" for the John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition, 2025. I used Rena...

Cambridge rethink essay competition

Senior Division, Honorable Mention, Cambridge Rethink essay Competition 2026 for essay on : 'Justice is Blind, But is Meritocracy?' examining whether meritocracy is fair when unequal starting conditions shape opportunity

https://credentials.cambridge-research.org/view/602e7620-c006-405c-8397-9cabba412708

I wrote "Justice is Blind, But is Meritocracy?" for the Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition, examining whether meritocratic systems can be considered fair when they ignore unequal...

Fellowship - KCC Group

Research fellowship with Economist & Founder of KCC Group - Dr (CA)Sharad Kohli

Research Fellowship with Economist and Founder of KCC Group, Dr. (CA) Sharad Kohli. I contributed to the market research team by conducting data analysis, preparing research report...

Civic Unplugged Fellowship

Civic Unplugged Fellowship - Sept 2025-Dec 2025

Selected for the Civic Unplugged Fellowship, collaborating with a cohort of accomplished fellows from around the world to explore innovative solutions to civic challenges.

Research & Projects

Independent Academic Research and Crest Gold Awardee for my research on the topic: "To what degree does China’s growing influence challenge American global supremacy?"

Published Paper : https://jirfp.thebrpi.org/article-jirfp-v14p3

I conducted research on great-power competition, particularly U.S.–China strategic dynamics. The project analyzes how China, as a rising power, challenges U.S. hegemony through material power and structural power. Using Power Transition Th...

Independent Researcher- Pension Systems and their Sustainability in Aging Economies- A comparative study of six nations facing demographic shifts

Won the 'Best Research Paper Award in Dubai Science & Economic Fair 2025.

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Presentation on Comparing economies of different countries and assess the correlation between their economic performance and political systems

Won best presentation in Dubai Science & Economic Fair 2024 (DSEF).

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Team project on unbiased LLMs at Inspirit AI Scholars Program in December 2023. Used Python and AI libraries to develop the models (Sep - Dec 2023)

Project associated with Inspirit AI Mentor- Mr. Avash Shrestha, MS- Computer Science, Stanford I examined large language models (LLMs), focusing on their underlying mechanisms, limitations, and broader societal implications. The methodology involved literature analysis, systematic prompt engineering experiments, and comparative evaluation of mode...

Book review on Goodreads

I published a review of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John J. Mearsheimer on Goodreads, where I reflected on offensive realism, power politics, and the book’s relevance to contemporary geopolitics, and gained a deeper understanding of international relations and critical analytical thinking.

Goodreads Link

Community & Leadership

Founder

Civic Lane

www.civiclane.co.in

India Begins with me

Founder of Civic Lane, a student-led civic education initiative that has reached 3,100+ students across rural Bihar through interactive content on civic rights, democracy, and community responsibility. Inspired by the initiative’s success and strong student interest, I co-authored a book based on the curriculum to further expand its impact in Indian schools. The book is available on Amazon and Kindle.

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Gemstone Captain, Jumeirah College Dubai

Selected through a rigorous application and interview process, I was appointed Gemstone Captain, where I helped promote the school’s core values across a community of more than 1,600 students. I also coordinated Gemstone round-ups and winners and delivered information at year-group and house assemblies to support a values-based school culture.

co-Founder and president

History Club, Jumeirah College Dubai

Co-founded and lead the History Club since 2024, creating a space for students to explore history beyond the curriculum. The society brought together over 40 middle school students for shared learning and discussions around various topics on UK and US history. Through this experience, I strengthened my leadership skills while encouraging curiosity, participation, and deeper academic engagement among students. I would like to be involved in this club and mentor future students from Jumeirah College even after joining university.

Founder and president

Diplomacy Decoded Club, Jumeirah College Dubai

Founded and lead Diplomacy Decoded, a student-run club for Years 11 and 12 students interested in understanding the world through the lens of international relations. By exploring the three key paradigms in international relations, the club helped students interpret recent events involving state-to-state relations and develop stronger critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and global awareness. It also created a space for curious students to explore why countries cooperate, how capabilities shape intentions, and how international affairs shape the world we live in, while fostering a deeper interest in the subject beyond the classroom.

Crisis Director & Member of the secretariat

Model United Nations (MUN) at Jumeirah College

As Crisis Director at Jumeirah College MUN, I led crisis committee discussions, managed dynamic simulations, and supported delegates in navigating complex global scenarios while strengthening their critical thinking, diplomacy, and public speaking skills.

Spring & Summer Activities

Pre-College Program on ‘International Relations & Great Powers’ at Columbia University –2024

Selected for Columbia University’s intensive summer program in Introduction to International Relations and Great Power, where I explored the theoretical and practical foundations of international relations, the dynamics of great power competition, and the use of economic statecraft in order to shape each country's interest and strategy. As one of...

Summer Program - Introduction to International Relations of Russia, China and Europe at Brown University-2025

At Brown University’s online summer program in Introduction to International Relations of Russia, China and Europe, I explored how these major powers shape international relations and the broader global order. The experience broadened my perspective on global politics and encouraged me to think critically and analyse how states influence internati...

Selected to attend Yale Young Global Scholars 2026 - Solving Global Challenges Program

At Yale Young Global Scholars, I led our capstone project on religious nationalism, turning political theory into a clear, well-researched strategy that earned top recognition in our cohort. Later, during a 6-hour crisis symposium, I put these ideas into practice and co-designed a fictional government system. Considering our fictional country's col...

Certificates