Home: Kalanki , Kathmandu, Bagmati

Education: B.Sc. (International Studies), Minnesota State University Moorhead, U.S.A.

Soon as I landed in the US, I realized how much my country had been left behind in the developmental race. During my time there, I got involved in civic engagement through my college student association and I met many passionate people who wished to see positive changes in others and not just themselves. I remained concerned about Nepal, its people, politics and economics. I started writing, reading about it in many of my classes as well. By the time I was graduating, I had an increased understanding and I was looking for ways to put my education into use. When I interviewed for various jobs, I realized that I wanted to work in my own country where my help was needed the most and to work with those whom I could connect to the most. I wanted to come back with a plan and some savings.

But the April earthquake happened and I felt like nothing was more urgent than Nepal. I was awake day and night, trying to chat with friends and family collecting information about resources and help and sharing that with whoever needed it. At college I dedicated my energy into making the campus community aware of our situation and lobbied for a special attention towards Nepali students. I realized that going back and working directly with my people would be a similarly satisfying and productive experience. TFN, I thought would give me that perfect base to start off.

I also assessed my personal family circumstances. Will my parents be able to sustain themselves without me having to do a 9-5 job? Will they be okay with not getting to live in a two bedroom apartment with me and my brother in New York? I discussed with my brother and he said these were secondary to my decision. I’ve always been making decisions based upon financial stability, but this time I thought I will not make that a priority.

I admit that I want recognition for any good work I do. May be this was also one of the reasons. People knew I was passionate about politics or leadership. I had to do something drastic to prove it. I want to create and maintain relationships with people so that if I ever were to take up a political leadership position, at least part of my views and decisions will come from that grassroots experience. I wanted to work with organizations whose time and money solely went to the people it has decided to serve. When I called my best friend who asked me why I wanted to come to do TFN, I told her, “One reason is to be an inspiration to others. If I can come back and work towards achieving a positive change in the country, others can confidently do so, too.”