Annapolis, Maryland, USA: More than thirty years after beginning his academic journey abroad, Sanjay Rai now leads one of the most dynamic and diverse higher education systems in the United States as the Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

When Rai departed from India on August 15, 1987 — the country’s Independence Day — he could not have foreseen that his path from a small steel-town classroom would eventually guide him to Maryland’s highest office in education. His career stands as a reflection of the very opportunities he strives to create for others today.

Born and educated in Uttar Pradesh, Rai was the first in his family to complete high school and graduate from Allahabad University. His pursuit of knowledge took him to Canada, where he obtained a master’s degree, and later to the University of Arkansas in the United States, where he earned a PhD in Mathematics. “My research focused on differential equations,” he explained, “and later on how mathematical modelling can be applied to medicine and the study of diseases.”