Sonali Kudva is an assistant professor of Communication and Media Studies at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is an educator, researcher, and curriculum designer whose work centers digital equity, media literacies, and the experiences of students who have not always felt “inside” academic or technological spaces. With a background that spans working with first-generation, international, and returning adult students across multiple institutions, she is committed to making digital tools, research platforms, and information systems accessible, meaningful, and empowering for learners who encounter barriers to participation.​

In her teaching, Sonali has designed courses in digital citizenship, critical media literacies, and information fluency that do not assume prior familiarity with platforms or academic technologies. Instead, she focuses on practical, hands-on learning that helps students build confidence, understand algorithmic bias, and recognize how demographics, geography, and power shape whose voices are amplified online. Her research and collaborative projects have examined misinformation, citizen participation in governance data, academic social media, algorithmic affect, media policy, and pop culture representation.​

Beyond the classroom, Sonali contributes to curriculum and policy initiatives, develops new programs, and mentors students and colleagues in ways that foreground equity and access. She pays close attention to often-invisible barriers in educational and technological systems and looks for opportunities to advance systemic change. As a 2025–26 Post-Secondary Equity Fellow, Sonali is excited to develop community-grounded approaches to digital equity that connect higher education, rural and under-resourced communities, and broader efforts to ensure that all North Carolina learners can fully participate in digital, academic, and civic life.​​