South Asia Studies
1. Where did you grow up and tell us a bit about your home town?
I’m from a coastal town in Connecticut where I’ve lived my entire life. Since I was thirteen, I’ve left Madison to spend my summers abroad, primarily in Nicaragua to work for a non-profit. Those are the two spaces that most shaped me. They contradicted one another and yet complemented each other, and they’ll always be places I call home.
2. What spurred you to major/minor in South Asia?
At a young age, the topic of Buddhism captured my attention. It had an air of mysticism and seemed utterly empowering. Eventually, I discovered I wanted to study religion and eastern philosophy, the traditions and history of the subjects that most fascinate me. There were courses in the South Asia Studies department that showed me my passion in the light of intellectuals. Those courses were a revelation that established urgency for further inquiry.
3. What are your two favorite things about the South Asia Studies Major?
I'm a student of a department that has an unbroken willingness to facilitate extraordinary possibilities. Majoring in South Asia Studies alleviated the anxiety that came from Penn's pre-professional atmosphere. My studies reminds me that the important thing is to not look ahead, but to embrace what is here, what is now. I couldn't deny a fellowship to spend a summer abroad chasing my dreams, the same way I can’t admit my enrollment in course that will send my to India is detrimental to my future.
I feel as though my studies give rise to a sense of accomplishment and purpose. I'm fortunate enough to learn from professors for whom their subject is a passion. For me, they stand as a collective inspiration to believe in myself wholeheartedly.
4. What do you think that your next steps will be?
One of the greatest things a professor told me was to not look beyond the horizon, but down at my feet. I’m lucky to currently be in school and I’m seeking the most out of each day. I know that next year I’ll be enrolling in Bahasa Indonesian along with Sanskrit. I’m hoping to go to Bali to study the culture’s heeling traditions. I’ve been taking the pre-med courses along with my other classes. I think that becoming an osteopathic doctor would be a remarkable accomplishment—certainly something to aspire towards after college.