Nepalese New Year – Special Section 4/14/22

Happy New Year, Nepal!

Today marks the celebration of Nepali New Year. At Springfield College, our community has been deeply enriched by the presence of 16 students from this majestic Asian nation that boasts eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including the highest point in the world, Mt. Everest.

This semester, the students of the Communications Seminar (COMM 482) class have partnered with the Nepali students on a journalistic project that culminates with today’s special section and a segment on tonight’s broadcast of SCTV3 News.

(Photos Courtesy of Rasika Adhikari)

Nepal Special Edition

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Rasika: ‘Hmm, people seem to be nice’ In mid-January, after an exhausting flight of 35 hours including layovers to arrive here, my brain was still trying to comprehend everything that seemed to have happened so quickly. At 11 p.m. on the day after I arrived in Springfield and while I was still under quarantine, I got locked out from my room. I was in my pajamas with no ID and my phone locked inside.

Having no clue on what to do, I just stood up near the main door, hoping that I wouldn’t have to sleep in a random space that night! Luckily, a person entered through the main door with pizza in his hands and he helped me out by calling public safety on his phone (his pizza was getting cold!). Minutes later, a public safety officer arrived despite the freezing cold outside and I was finally able to get in. My first impression of Springfield College“Hmm, people seem to be nice.”

Three months into my time here, this impression is now even stronger.

Having grown up in a collective and collaborative world, I was tense about my venture to the United States. From what I had been hearing earlier about this place that people are so focused on

Rasika Adhikari

themselves and it’s more of a lonely world out there keeping aside all the opportunities the country has to offer. I had built up my expectations accordingly and thus it was very surprising to experience something totally different. People held doors, left random positive notes, greeted with a hello, and the list goes on. I don’t know about the rest of the United States, maybe it’s not the same everywhere, but this place in particular feels warm and safe; I never feel homesick.

Partly, the reason is also

because two of my friends from high school in Kathmandu were already here and I was able to adjust pretty quickly. But the fact that I’ve come almost 8000 miles away with lots of ambitions feels overwhelming at times and again, the good thing here is that I have a community to support and lift me up. I feel nothing but grateful.

One thing that I miss extremely is food. The food here is completely different from what we have in Nepal. I was so used to eating hot and spicy food back home

that even the “hot sauce” here tasted neutral to me!

It was astonishing how Americans are so much into sweet taste. But now the same food has become my everyday meal at Cheney. I don’t really enjoy the food, but I definitely enjoy the experience of being in a new scenario getting accustomed to something completely new.

On one of the first days, I remember wanting to ask a question in class but I was feeling too self-conscious. What if it’s a stupid question?

What if people think I’m dumb? All these doubts played in my head but I asked it anyway and to my surprise, the reaction was nothing close to what I’d expected. I was praised by the professor!

She made me feel comfortable and that boosted my confidence. I find it stunning how the campus and instructors keep the learning process in the student’s favor. Having just 3-4 classes a day and two whole day breaks on weekends, I don’t find it stressful to study and there’s some time for me to work on other things.

The flexibility on this part is appreciated.

The environment around us plays a role in how we grow up and I’m glad how this place has shaped me positively in just a few months. Everybody everywhere seems to value time here, and so I am learning to be prompt. They follow rules; they are disciplined- be it on the road or in the class. I observed that they give and take respect. I’m learning and growing every day, trying to install some of these values in myself being in this environment. For all the opportunities and challenges I will have to face here, I truly believe that I will thrive with my hopes and dreams for the future.

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Nepal Special Edition

III

Hrishi: My first flight, my big leap It was my first flight.

I had been the only one in my family who had never been in an airplane. My dad would always say, “You’ll take a big leap one day. That day you’ll realize it was worth the wait.” It was August 31st, 2021. At 8 p.m. I was flying to the United States of America. In Nepal, my home is just 10 minutes away from the international airport. The last 15 years of my life, I had spent looking at airplanes take off through that airport runway. That night, I was taking off. My mind reminded me of the most used metaphor ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ that evening. It was mixed emotions because it was something I always wanted, but it was also leaving my comfort zone.

My luggage had less stuff but more dreams.

I am the youngest in myfamily and I’m sure every parent reading this can relate to how seeing the youngest one grow feels surreal. To my mom, I’m always the person who always loses one of the pair of socks.

To my dad, I’m someone who forgets to eat while

watching TV. I am the youngest and there is every reason why parents would worry sending their teenage child to the country no one in the family has ever been to.

My dream of coming to the US for further education is associated to the two years gap after my high school graduation. One word that would explain my feeling about applying to colleges in America would be “dubious.” Fear of getting rejected and waitlisted by universities. If selected, doubts about what if they do not provide me a decent scholarship. After all, having to think whether the visa officer will grant the visa or not. Fear of what if the lockdown extends and flights are not available. There were infinite questions but zero answers. Optimism was the only option. There were no sparks to follow.

It was complete darkness, and nothing ignited in my mind. Seeing no possibility of continuing my further education in Nepal, I decided to apply to universities and go with a flow. I felt like a balloon filled with air but

being held in the ground by the circumstances.

But deep inside, I knew I would fly high. I knew I would leap higher like my dad believed.

Rejected from Ivy Leagues, waitlisted in my liberal art dream universities, I got accepted to Springfield College with a decent financial aid. Massachusetts was my favorite among the states I was planning to move to. Maybe because it’s liberal and welcoming too and, it’s home to the greatest universities in the world. With a good aid in my I-20, I was pretty sure the US embassy will encourage me to pursue my further studies in America.

And July 19, 2021, was the day I had my visa in my hands. The moment where all my doubts were put aside and the only thing that mattered was spending one more month in Nepal with family and friends, eating my favorite food every day and making the most out of it.

After that day, when I heard an airplane take off, I smiled. It will be grand. It will be my big leap. My last month went

Hrishikesh Lamichhane

by in the blink of eye.

The story unfolded. It was like a new episode of my own podcast series, and it was exciting and thrilling.

As I write these sentences of how it was a year ago, I can see Lake Massasoit from my room in Reed Hall. I can see squirrels getting excited for a new morning. I feel like that balloon which was meant to be released and I’m soaring nowhere but higher. Springfield College has been a home to me. I cannot go back but Springfield College has brought me home. I got to celebrate my first Dashain here on campus.

Doing great work and engaging on campus. I am currently in Student Honors Council, YMCA Club, Alden Street

Review editorial board.

I’m doing a cool project, collaborating with journalism students in writing unheard stories of Nepalese students at Springfield College. I received the outstanding student award in Health Sciences. Each day, I’m grinding and thriving.

If I were to look back at my life, I was a birdling in a nest. Whatever I am today is the result of nourishment I got back home in Nepal.

Those were my baby steps. My first flight was when I first flew. When I flew west with the western wind. It was indeed the biggest leap I took.

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Nepali Pioneer When Chandani Rana arrived in 2019, she was the first Springfield College student from Nepal. Today, it is a lively community of 16 students. _ By Sean Doyle _ @seandoyle_24

A majority of the students on Springfield College’s campus come from the United States, with most of them coming more specifically from the Northeast. For many, getting to Alden Street doesn’t even require a plane ride. Most take a car ride anywhere between 10-300 miles in length. But for Chandani Rana it took three plane rides and two car rides totalling over 7,400 miles to get to campus.

In August of 2019 Rana loaded her few suitcases into the back of a taxi and headed to the airport. As she got closer and closer to the airport the planes that she had seen flying by overhead ever since she was born started to get bigger and bigger as reality continued to sink in of what was ahead of her. She was boldly going where no one from her country had gone before: the first person from Nepal to ever enroll at Springfield College.

She pulled up to the airport drop-off line and began to unload her belongings from the

vehicle. Rana said goodbye to her father and entered the first part of her journey ready to face her biggest fear head on, how to not get lost in the airport.

“I was super excited to get to the U.S.,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous leaving Nepal, I was nervous that I was gonna get lost in the airport.”

Rana started off her journey by flying from Nepal to Korea. This was the first time that she had ever left Nepal and the first time she had ever taken a flight.

After a layover in Korea, Rana boarded the plane for her longest flight of the trip to Atlanta, Georgia.

“The flight was 13 hours and about halfway to Atlanta I was so tired of being on the plane I just wanted to open the door and jump out,” Rana said.

Shortly after landing in Atlanta, she boarded her final flight to Hartford, Connecticut. It was time.

Rana entered Springfield College as an environmental science major,

Chandani Rana receiving her acceptance letter in Nepal from Nicholas Venn, Associate Director of International Admissions at Springfield College. (Photo Courtesy of Chandani Rana)

which is what ultimately helped her find out about the school.

“I was looking for colleges that had environmental science programs and that’s how I found Springfield College. I emailed the International Center and they got back to me saying ‘oh there is this person (from the International Center) com-

ing to Nepal’ so it was totally a coincidence,” Rana said. “He really liked me and he thought that I’ll be a great fit for the college and I think that Springfield College has also been an amazing match for me as well.”

Being the first person in her family to come to the United States and the first person to attend

college, Rana wasn’t sure how her parents would react.

“They were okay with it. I was a very independent person and coming to the US is taken as a really amazing thing so they were very happy,” she said.

Rana’s preparation for college was smooth sailing once she received

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Nepal Special Edition

Chandani accepting the Outstanding First-Year Student Award in 2020. (Photo Courtesy of Chandani Rana)

a scholarship from Education USA, which is a network within the U.S. Department of State of international student advising centers in over 170 countries.

The program also works with Fulbright which is one of many United States Cultural Exchange Programs that aids in improving intercultural relations between countries.

“They only accept 13 people (Nepali students) so I was one of 13, which is why I didn’t have a visa issue because I was already pre-approved basically,” Rana said.

Once she arrived at Bradley International Airport, Director of the International Center, Deborah Alm, picked up Rana and brought her to campus.

“I was expecting an

extraordinary young woman, and I was not disappointed,” said Alm. “Chandani arrived after 30+ hours of travel, still energized and excited to be here. As she had arrived at night, I made a stop on the way to Bradley Airport to pick up some Nepalese food from a restaurant so she could have something comforting. All the way to campus, she was full of questions. It was clear that she had read nearly every page on our college website as she had very specific questions.”

Alm helped Rana settle into her dorm room preparing her for her first day as a Springfield College student.

Rana’s first day on campus started just like any other first-year student at Springfield College, with New Stu-

dent Orientation. But it was challenging for her, especially after over 30 hours of travel.

“The whole orientation was very overwhelming to me,” she said. “I literally hid behind a tree at one point.

You have jet lag, everything is moving, and then you have to move and sing. It was a lot.”

Although NSO was hard out of the jump, Rana quickly was able to make friends and begin to fit in on campus.

“I was very grateful that…a lot of people here are so welcoming and supportive,” Rana said. “For example my roommate (Rose), the International Center, my supervisor (Nicholas Venn). He’s the one who got me here. He also introduced me to YMCA people because that was my minor….YMCA people are just so so nice. I also met people from the orientation.”

Rana’s roommate Rose was an international student from Vietnam.

The two were able to connect on Facebook before coming to Springfield and their first in-person meeting was the day Rana arrived on campus.

“When we arrived on campus, we dragged her heavy bags to her room where her roommate, another international student from Vietnam, was waiting,” said Alm. “They had been communicating long distance for a few weeks, and when they laid eyes on each other, there were hugs

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and tears of joy. It was a very special moment.

This was a scene that would stay with me for a long time: two students 10,000 miles away from home making instant friendships, eager to start a new life and open to the opportunities.”

As Rana’s first semester went on, she continued to gain more friendships, including one with Professor of Composition and Rhetoric and Chair of the Department of Literature, Writing, and Journalism, Anne Wheeler.

“Chandani was in the first section of Springfield College seminar that I taught, which was when it was only taken by the honors students during their first semester,” said Wheeler.

“She did really terrific work and then she ended up being in my college writing class the second semester. And in that class she continued to do really terrific work.

And when you work with somebody you get to know them a bit.”

Rana closed out her first semester strong.

Little did she know what was ahead of her.

In March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Rana was stranded. Just like the other international students on campus, the college was closing and she had nowhere to go.

“Flying to Nepal was not allowed,” said Rana. “There were many restrictions and even if I went to Nepal I didn’t know if I would

be allowed back and I didn’t want to risk it.

We were in mid-spring and I didn’t want to risk doing online classes even though we had to anyway. Back in Nepal it’s like 12 hours different so it would’ve been so hard.”

Rana’s back was against the wall. She couldn’t go home. She didn’t know where she could go or what she would do. Luckily she had plans of going to her friend Lily’s house over what was announced as a two-week extended Spring Break while the college figured out the next steps to take.

That two-week extended Spring Break turned out to be the rest of the semester. As COVID continued to show no sign of going anywhere, Rana’s stay at Lily’s extended as well.

As the spring semester was starting to come to a close, Rana knew she couldn’t stay with Lily all summer. She needed a new plan. She reached out to Professor Susan Joel, Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, who placed Rana in contact with Professor Wheeler.

The two were familiar with each other from classes and had a very professional relationship so Wheeler decided there was a way she could help out.

“At that time my partner Michelle and I had been working at home since March with See Chandani continued on Page 6

April 14, 2022 Chandani continued from Page 5

two full-time jobs and no childcare, Wheeler said. “My daughter was 2 and my son was 6. So we suggested that Chandani move in with us. We had the bedroom space so we kind of hired her with what we could afford to pay her to be our child care for half-days. My kids love young adults.

They are really chatty, charismatic children who are happy to meet new people. She’s really good with kids...So she bonded with the kids immediately and was with us through the whole summer.”

The connection that was supposed to last until campus opened back up in the Fall of 2020 has turned into something much more than that.

“It’s basically my second home now. I go there every break,” Rana said.

“I’m very grateful that’s how things are to say the least. You know, having a mom and then another mom here. Even though I say I’m not homesick or feel lonely, having that family and support system who’s there no matter what, it just feels great. I feel very loved and cared for.”

“Now I call her my adopted college-aged daughter with another mother,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler has been taking the “another mom” role on in full force. She helps Rana with any issues that might occur, no matter how big or how small. She has even

Nepal Special Edition

helped Rana improve her mental health.

“I really struggled with my mental health but I never had a counselor before back in Nepal because everything is so stigmatized,” Rana said. “Like when I talk with my mom about my depression she says ‘oh it’s just in your head.’ Of course it’s in my head, that is why I am getting help. But my mom is opening up about it now. She (Prof. Wheeler) helped me find a therapist so it was a turning point in my life.”

Over this past Spring Break I was able to go over and observe Rana at Wheeler’s house and her interactions with Wheeler’s two children. It was like she was a part of the family. When Wheeler’s oldest child, Malcolm, was asked what it was like having Rana around he let out an emphatic, “Fun!” For many people it wouldn’t be easy to go to a completely different country where you know almost nobody, but for Rana, she has only grown and gained confidence from the experience.

“I definitely feel the growth,” said Rana. “I have realized that everything is different and I have more confidence.

Part of that is from the work I do in Admissions and the trust that my supervisors have in me.

Same with the other opportunities I have gotten.

Now I have an idea of what is going on. I also have hands-on experience in the classroom, giving presentations, doing

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Chandani celebrating Christmas with Professor Anne Wheeler’s children, Margot and Malcolm. (Photo Courtesy of Chandani Rana)

group projects, all those different experiences I never had in Nepal help.”

Although Rana has grown and gotten more confident, because of the COVID-19 pandemic she has not seen her family back in Nepal since she left in August 2019. Even though it is hard at times, she uses video calls and her adopted family to not feel homesick.

“I talk to my mom and sister every once in a while to know that they are okay,” Rana said. “With technology and video calls it doesn’t really feel like I’m that far away.”

Rana is always busy.

She is a double major in Psychology and Sociology, a minor in YMCA, in the Honors program, Co-President of the International Students Organization, and a member

of the Honors Council.

She works in Admissions as an International Students coordinator, and interns with Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts.

Her internship is something that she is most passionate about.

She works as a Digital Literacy Circles intern with newly arrived Afghani and Somali refugees where she teaches them how to use Chromebooks.

Rana has helped pave the way for other students from Nepal to Springfield College. In 2019 she was the only Nepali student on campus and now there are 16 Nepali students here with more on the way.

She wants to help them and see them succeed.

“They text me all the time whenever they have

a question because I have been here the longest and can point them in the right direction,” Rana said.

Rana’s goal after college is to become a licensed social worker in the U.S. who works with kids and young adults in a clinical setting.

From Kathmadhu, Nepal to Springfield, Rana has found her dream and won’t let anything get in the way of her reaching it.

Whether she is in her favorite spot behind Alumni Hall with her emotional support dog, Louise (Shepherd and Hound mix), working in Admissions, or at Professor Wheeler’s house, she is right at home.

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A home away from home Doggett International Center provides a foundation of support for students from more than 30 countries. ___ By Amanda Hitchcock ___ @amandassnapshots

Students prepare to leave the warmth of Kathmandu, a lively city in Nepal, where the temperature rarely drops below the fifties, heading for the unpredictable weather of Massachusetts, with its long, cold winters. They are getting ready to leave their homes—and everyone they know—behind them.

They are set to pursue their dreams of coming to college in the United States.

But where do they start?

How do they even begin this journey?

It will take them 7.340 miles away from home, a time difference that is— oddly enough—10 hours and 45 minutes. For many, they will be getting on an airplane for the first time.

And the journey won’t be close to over when they finally get off the plane.

International students will have to readjust their entire lives.

On the other end of the trip sits the Doggett International Center at Springfield College, the place that makes it all possible.

“The International Center is really warm to us, like a home away from home,” said Supriya Aryal, a freshman from Nepal.

Heading up the International Center is Deb Alm, whose job is multi-faceted to say the least.

“Not only inbound stu-

dents inspire and amaze us, but the outbound students departing on study/internship/service abroad return with a new understanding of the world, a greater acceptance for change, and an appreciation for the interconnectedness of humanity.

The job is ever changing as an awareness of world affairs and potential risks of travel require constant vigilance and the ability to pivot quickly,” Alm said.

In practice, this can mean anything from picking up students at the airport, to shopping with them for everything from mattress pads to shampoo.

It also involves navigating the tricky world of visas.

Shara Karmacharya is a young woman with big dreams, but she had a difficult time getting here.

Her journey began with her determination to pursue a path to becoming a social worker.

When she realized the best way to do so would entail traveling almost 8,000 miles away from her home in Nepal to the campus of Springfield College, the troubles began.

“I was in Nepal communicating with the International Center through emails. They were into me, and they wanted me to join Springfield College, and I also wanted to come…

I didn’t know if I could

(Left to right) Deb Alm, Chandani Rana, Shara Karmacharya, Supriya Aryal. (Photo Courtesy of Deb Alm)

get a visa, but even when I didn’t get the visa the first time and asked Deb…[she] said they will waive it until the spring.… I have good bonding with Springfield College because they would keep telling me, ‘Keep in touch. If you don’t get [the] visa, we will figure it out,’” Karmacharya explained.

One complicating factor for the International Center, of course, has been Covid during the last few years. But even with all of the uncertainty surrounding the journey itself during the pandemic, the International Center never gave up hope for these students.

Another feature of the International Center is the effort to constantly honor the unique cultures and journeys of all internation-

al students.

“They do celebrate all the different festivals that international students have here,” said Chandani Rana, the first student from Nepal to arrive on campus in 2019.

Every international student has their own story as to how they got here and the journey they are striving for. With the largest international group of Nepali students ever on campus this year (13 undergraduate and three graduate students), it is more important than ever to get help with things from the International Center.

More than 150 international students from over 30 countries attend Springfield College at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Our campus allows

international students to experience the close-knit community and spirit, mind and body philosophy. The small classes and personal approach to teaching give students the opportunity to develop warm and meaningful connections with professors and classmates.

Welcoming international students has been part of the Springfield College mission from the start.

When it began in 1885, Springfield College was the International YMCA Training School. We hosted students from other countries long before there were even airplanes! From Canada to longer treks like China, students have always been interested in Springfield College and wanted to be a part of something bigger.

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A trek of determination Prashant Timalsina began attending boarding school at 8 years old; he is now using his education to achieve his dreams. __ By Cait Kemp __ @caitlinkemp09

A boy’s cries echoed through the halls of his boarding school.

His cries shouted to the other end of the phone, where his parents sat crying back to him. The sobbing circulated the call, and blended into one, sorrowful howl.

Day after day, the crying continued like clockwork. The boy was miserable, but his parents knew this was the best opportunity for him to excel in academics. From the age of 10, he was shipped off to not only learn to read and write, but learn to live, at a boarding school. The boy dreaded his time away from home, and yearned to see and hold and cherish his family’s presence.

This isn’t some tale about a character from a far away place. This is the stark reality of the life of Prashant Timalsina, sophomore at Springfield College.

In addition to the

distance from home, the academic rigor was intense. Before even attending his boarding school, Timalsina had to prepare for a year with a tutor to be accepted. He was determined, even at a young age.

“I kid you not, I knew all the capital cities of all the countries,” said Timalsina. “I was always good at geography and culture and all that kind of stuff.”

With his hard work and dedication to his academics, he got into the Budhanilkantha School. He went to school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. He knew the times tables up to 20 when he was just 10 years old, and by fifth grade he was already learning trigonometry. He and his classmates studied 12 subjects, all of which were advanced compared to curriculums in the U.S. “I feel like I was intrinsically motivated.

Timalsina with his father in the mountains of Nepal. (Photo Courtesy of Prashant Timalsina)

My parents are smart, they knew how to make me study without making me feel like they were making me study,” chuckled Timalsina.

After years of the dreading, crying, sleepless nights, he became accustomed to being away. Timalsina was 250 miles away from home for eight years. At the completion of those

strenuous eight years, he did not go home to his relief. That was not the end of his long-distance journey. He just moved farther. He was now 7,406 miles away from home to continue his education at the next level, at a higher institution that sat almost half a world away.

Timalsina hails from Hetauda, Nepal, located

southwest of the capital city Kathmandu.

Nepal is situated on the other side of the world from the United States.

His journey from the 4,593 foot altitude of his mountainous homeland to the mere 70 foot elevation of Springfield, Mass. has not been a simple one. However, it was always a simple choice to study over-

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Nepal Special Edition

Timalsina singing on stage. (Photo Courtesy of Prashant Timalsina)

seas after finishing his secondary education at boarding school.

At the Budhanilkantha School, the program was planned out specifically for students to go on to receive an education at an institution abroad. It was always the plan for him to travel to Europe or the United States. He had been away from home for this long, what’s a few more years at this point? He was eager to get to a new land to explore and experience.

His first semester enrolled at Springfield College was completed online and remotely from Nepal.

Seems easy enough, right? Log on, turn the camera off and lay in bed while listening to the lecture. Not so much. A 2:45 p.m. class on Monday in Springfield would require Timalsina to log on at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

He took Intro to Programming using Mobile Technology, which was not an easy feat especially before the sun had even risen.

The time difference is extreme between Massachusetts and Nepal.

Timalsina was 10 hours and 45 minutes ahead of his fellow classmates, yet was still required to do the same work as

them. Among all the difficulties, he still found a way to excel.

Timalsina is truly determined.

The everlasting issue of the world today was not absent in Timalsina’s journey in getting to Springfield College.

COVID-19 caused many problems with international travel, among the border disputes that were already taking place around the same time.

Nepal experiences something referred to as “brain drain,” meaning that many educated people leave the country to go elsewhere to study or pursue their career.

Because of this, Nepal does not make it easy to receive a visa to leave.

However, Timalsina was, of course, determined.

To finally get his visa, he decided to travel to India. Nepal and India have an open border between the two countries, meaning that citizens of each can travel to and from without the ordinary restrictions that leaving a country often requires. Through the U.S. Embassy in India, he completed a short interview and was almost immediately verified to gain a visa to travel to the United States. It was finally all coming together.

Through his journey, Timalsina is finally where he strove to be. Now, studying as a computer science major, he has even more on his plate.

Yet, it still isn’t enough for him.

“I’m asking the department to get even tougher courses, and we are doing that,” said Timalsina.

“We recently hired a professor last semester and we are hiring a new computer science faculty this upcoming semester so things are evolving in the computer science program and I am really happy about that.”

Not only is he attending school, taking classes, and working toward getting his degree, Timalsina is making it better as he goes. His

IX path is not for the meek at heart, and he is proving his presence in this academic field one step at a time.

In five years, the world will probably see Timalsina at the front of a big tech company.

He dreams of getting to the top, doing the best work he can, and then giving back to Nepal and his community back home. However, before he can do that, he wants to make it on his own.

“If you’re not self-sustained, you can’t help others,” Timalsina said.

Timalsina is determined. He has been since the days that young boy wailed and sobbed over the phone to his parents.

Since he completed high school and began to think abroad.

Since he was denied a visa in high school to attend a week-long academic program in the U.S. Since he completed classes online for a semester, over 7,000 miles away.

Since he finally made it to Springfield but experienced a major culture shock.

Since he didn’t feel his program was giving him enough, he vowed to make a change.

Since he never gave up on his arduous journey, advocating for himself so he can be the best.

Timalsina is determined.

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Using art as therapy Shara Karmacharya and Hrishikesh Lamichhane used the creation of poems, drawings, and paintings to endure COVID-19 lockdowns, and have now made it part of their everyday life. __ By Nico Fiscella__ @Nico_Fiscella

Staying trapped within the walls we call home, remaining distant from peers, and living with the fear of COVID-19 attacked the world in an instant. The pandemic created a lifestyle that all were forced to adjust to, one that will not only live forever in the history books but one that has left a mental scar on all.

According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic increased anxiety and depression levels across the globe by 25 percent within the first year.

For Springfield College students Shara Karmacharya and Hrishikesh “Hrishi” Lamichhane, the pandemic brought their mental health to a challenging point. However, it was their passion for art and poetry that provided the shining light at the end of the tunnel.

Five hundred and sixty days since the first COVID-19 case emerged, Hrishi published his first collection of poems, dedicating his work “to everyone who lost their close ones during [the] COVID-19 pandemic.

To people facing political, religious, and economic crises. And to dreamers….”

Now two years removed from the beginning of the pandemic, it is Hrishi and Shara who continue to use their passion for not only personal benefit but as a way to reach out to others who are struggling.

“It was a whole new experience,” said Hrishi, who is a current firstyear student studying Public Health. While Springfield College was a large adjustment from the education system he knew in Nepal, he has enjoyed experiencing

life as a student here on Alden Street.

“I have a very hard time socializing,” said Hrishi.

To Hrishi, poetry is more than just a hobby that passes the time, but instead an art form used to capture crucial moments of his life while also releasing him from the stress surrounding him.

“If it’s something worth remembering,” he said, “I write poems.”

It was in the fifth grade that Hrishi began writing poetry. His father was the main motivator early on in his poetry career. After Hrishi had produced several poems, his father helped him get one published in the city newspaper.

“It was definitely crappy[…] but I guess it was a good poem for a fifth-grader,” said Hrishi with a chuckle.

With an introverted

Shara with a piece of her artwork. (Photo Courtesy of Shara Karmacharya)

personality, he enjoyed staying in and writing poems. After a year of hard work, Hrishi began writing his poetry in English, the only person in his family to fully transition to the foreign language. In Kathmandu, Hrishi was exposed to English at an early age. He would later attend NK Singh Memorial English Preparatory High School, where students were required to speak English.

While Hrishi enjoys re-reading old poems he has written, he also likes to learn from other poets. “Stopping

by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost has remained his favorite for years. It is not the four-line structure that excites him.

Not the rhyme scheme,

nor the physical story that Frost is telling, but instead, it is the final two lines of the poem: “And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”

After reading this poem for the first time, those last two lines became engraved in Hrishi’s everyday life. His brother, Sandesh, would often repeat this to Hrishi when it did not seem like the cards were in his favor. On days when he could not find a reason to keep his head up, it was the words of Frost that carried him through troubling times.

“We have a long way to go. We cannot stop,” said Hrishi.

During the pandemic Hrishi’s passion for poetry only grew larger.

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Nepal Special Edition

Hrishi at a ceremony. (Photo Courtesy of Hrishikesh Lamichhane)

During this time, he was not allowed to visit his grandparents or go out with friends and was left isolated in the four walls of his room. With an abundance of time in his schedule, he began producing his own collection of poems.

Epiphany was published in July of 2021, containing over 30 poems he had written over the years. At a time when Hrishi’s mental health was challenged, poetry helped him free his mind from the struggles he encountered during the pandemic.

“I had so many realizations in me during COVID; I looked back on my life and realized how to accept my emo-

tions,” said Hrishi.

His favorite poem shares the same title as the book, “Epiphany.”

It was in this poem that Hrishi described his internal feelings about himself, while also exploring the journey he was about to venture toward.

“To wear pink, to question the stereotypes, to choose America over my twin-sized bed and family is epiphany [...] to live is epiphany.”

While this poem was tailored toward his personal experiences, Hrishi enjoys seeing his words benefit the lives of others.

“I write how I feel in a symbolic way,” said Hrishi. “People would

not know what I feel, but they can interpret it in their own way. Only I know how I felt when I was writing that.”

Much like Hrishi, graduate Shara Karmacharya has used her passion for art not only as a hobby but as a therapeutic practice. Shara was often bullied as a young child; therefore, she would pick up a pencil and begin sketching whatever was on her mind at the time.

“Art is how I release my stress. It’s my therapy,” said Shara. “Every time I draw, I find the best version of myself.”

She is currently studying for a career in social work, with a dream of one day returning

to Nepal to help restructure the education system. With a schedule filled to the brim with classes, an internship, and a work-study on campus, Shara’s favorite part of the day is returning to her home in the senior suites and getting to work on her next art project.

Over winter break this year, Shara completed her favorite piece yet, one that soaked up three months of sketching, drawing, and painting.

Filled with bright colors and unique patterns, Shara produced her unique spin on the mandala flower. The circular flower filled a poster board that is almost the same size as her. The mandala flower is seen as a symbol of the universe but also represents love, empathy, and hope. After completing her biggest project yet, Shara posted her artwork on Instagram with the caption, “We are all joined in a circle of stories- Mandala.”

Shara’s Instagram is not only where she showcases her latest art products, but also where she embraces the goal of uplifting others. “[A] butterfly is proof that beauty can emerge from something completely falling apart,” said Shara. For Shara, it was the pandemic that forced an introverted woman into her cocoon, and those dark times allowed for her to spread her wings and emerge as

XI the strong and artistic woman she is today.

Shara’s artwork not only reflects the bright and creative person she is but it is also her way of placing her emotions into color. In October of 2021, Shara’s father passed away, now joining her mother watching Shara continue to prosper as her ambitious goals continue to push her to be the best version of herself she can be.

“Life never stops, move forward,” said Shara.

“Though we will never be together as a family, I will always follow the path that you have shown.”

Shara has made a promise to her parents that she will “continue to be a brave daughter and make you smile [in] heaven.” With her brother now living in Boston, the two are continuing their dreams with each other by their sides.

Whether it is symbols in stanzas or brilliant colors splashed on a canvas, Hrishi and Shara have discovered ways to turn their passion into not just a hobby, but a stress reliever. Their passion for art saved these two during their dark times, and it is this bright light that will continue to carry them as they continue their journey at Springfield.

With big intentions for the future, Hrishi and Shara have miles to go before they sleep.

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Nepal Special Edition

The major that computes for Nepal A large percentage of Springfield’s Nepali students major in computer science, and some look to take their learning in the United States and use it to help their home country. __ By Aiden Fitzpatrick__

Aabhash Rana and Bibek Gaire with James O’Brien. (Photo Courtesy of Aiden Fitzpatrick)

Nepal is home to Mount Everest, which is the tallest mountain in the world; its peak sits 29,032 feet above sea level looking over the miles of surrounding land. Nepal is also called home to Aabhash Rana, an international student here at Springfield College who majors in computer science.

You will not find Rana scaling mountains or conquering peaks of his homeland. Often you can find him among rows and rows of computers, building 3-D printers, or creating computer-generated art in the basement of Schoo-Bemis building located next to Cheney hall. That’s where the computer science lab is. Computer science is Rana’s major, but more importantly, it’s a strong passion of his.

Sixteen students from Nepal have come halfway around the world for a number of reasons: perspective, education, and opportunity.

Rana is no exception when it comes to these reasons for education in America. The 21-yearold sophomore started here at Springfield in the fall of 2020 and has made the most of his time thus far.

Rana has a goal of finishing his education at Springfield and taking what he’s learned back to Nepal to give back to his community, specifi-

XII cally in the area of education. “I want to work at a big tech or a tech start-up in the northeast, then take what I’ve learned and give back to the education system of Nepal. I want to set up networks and platforms for students like Brightspace or Blackboard.”

Rana says, “I taught myself computer concepts and basic coding back in Kathmandu.”

In high school, Rana learned basic computer fundamentals and took an interest almost immediately. Computer science basics is a requirement in the Nepali school system along with physics and calculus. Rana completed trigonometry at the age of 14 in seventh grade.

“Frankly Nepal places a much higher emphasis on their math and sciences compared to the school systems here.

That’s why you see a lot of interest in tech and engineering out of countries like Nepal and Bangladesh,” said James O’Brien, Springfield College’s Department Chair of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science. O’Brien has a great relationship with the Nepali students at Springfield. He characterizes them as “super bright, motivated, hard-working, with an urge to contribute.”

O’Brien estimates that there are 55 undergraduate students in the major. Of those

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Nepal Special Edition

XIII

(Compiled by Ty Coney)

55 undergrads, 10 are international students from Nepal. So, why the attraction to Springfield’s computer science department?

Rana claims, “The education here is much more hands-on, practical learning compared to Nepal’s text-heavy education methods.” For O’Brien, the attraction stems from a couple of different things. One is the fact that tech education begins quite early in Nepal. The other, he says, is that technological hubs like Boston and New York are not far from campus.

When O’Brien took helm of the computer science department in 2018, he noticed some

weaknesses in the curriculum and opportunities for the students.

“I tried beefing up the major with improvements for more modern options” shared O’Brien.

One of these was creating a new computer science club, which was founded by Bibek Gaire (a Nepali student) and Rana in the fall of 2021.

Setting up the club presented challenges for Gaire and Rana. “We had trouble with funding and being recognized by C.A.B,” shared Gaire. However, those challenges only resided in the setting up of the club, as the club itself had no problem attracting students. On the first meeting ever the

computer science club had 15 students show up and the members have stayed consistent.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever set up a club before but 15 people in the first meeting is quite a feat,” O’Brien remarked. The club offers competition among students and allows them to explore things like robotics along with “nerding out” by coding or hacking video games.

Last fall they participated in the Holyoke Hack-athon where students from the Western Mass area competed against each other, and also attended workshops. Challenges ranged from Best Remote Health Hack

to Best Use of Data by MassMutual.

“The Nepal students in the computer science department don’t want to be viewed as the 10 Nepalese students; they want to be part of the Springfield College community,” shared O’Brien. The relationship between Springfield’s Nepali students and its computer science program has only benefited both parties and elevated the opportunities and possibilities for both the students and the program alike.

“They help steer the ship,” said O’Brien, of Rana and Gaire, the president and vice president of the computer science club and the two

star students within the program. Rana and Gaire have been tasked with helping hire new teachers for the program through candidates that perform teaching lessons.

The two students help assess the candidates and give the department heads their findings and preferences based on the candidates’ performance.

Rana and Gaire have clearly established themselves as major leaders within the computer science department. Along with the other 14 students from Nepal, they are helping to deepen the Springfield College experience for all of us.

Nepal Special Edition

April 14, 2022

XIV

A dazzling journey International Springfield College students arrived from the land of Mt. Everest and Kathmandu. ___ By Collin Atwood ___ @collinatwood17

A number of mountains in Massachusetts have peaks that are difficult to reach. A common mountain for Springfield College students to trek is Mt. Tom, which is 1,202 feet tall. If people are looking for a challenge, they can hike up 2,684 feet to the peak of Misery Mountain.

The most difficult of them all is Mount Greylock, a 3,489-foot summit that takes five to six hours to trudge with the prize of reaching the top being a view that stretches for 90 miles.

The real challenge for hikers in northeastern America rests in the White Mountains, a mountain range in New Hampshire. In fact, a common goal for people who are serious about intense hiking is to hike all 48 of the 4,000-foot peaks on the range. This includes the highest summit in the eastern part of the United States, Mount Washington at 6,288 feet.

Travel 7,000 miles east of Alden Street and peaks that are four

Summit of Mt. Everest. (Photo Courtesy of Rasika Adhikari)

times the size of Mount Washington and 20 times the size of the Empire State Building tower over the entire country of Nepal.

Nepal is home to eight of the 14 tallest mountains in the world, including the 29,032-

foot Mt. Everest, the tallest summit on the planet.

Climbing Mt. Everest, or any of the other 13 peaks, is a feat that most people can only dream of.

Making the trip up the icy, freezing and

literal breathtaking summit is a challenge that only experienced mountaineers should go up against. Although over 6,000 people have made their way to the peak of Everest, over 300 people have died.

A decision to climb

Everest is a decision to go up against deep and vast crevasses, tons of snow plummeting towards the base of the mountain, wind gusts of over 100 mph and temperatures as low as negative 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

A piercing blade of ice may fall at any time and one mis-step on the mountain’s slippery slopes could cost someone their life. Even if these obstacles are avoided, as the summit approaches, climbers must gasp for air as the oxygen slowly leaks from their lungs.

Still, the undenying urge to summit the mountain draws in around 800 climbers a year. The reward: fulfillment and the chance to be on top of the world.

Jon Krakauer, the author of ‘Into Thin Air,’ gazed upon the treacherous Everest and the Himalayas out of his airplane window on his way to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. “There, raking the horizon, stood the jagged incisors of the Himalaya,” Krakuer wrote in ‘Into Thin Air.’ Summiting the tallest

April 14, 2022

Nepal Special Edition

Pashupatinath Temple. (Photo Courtesy of Rasika Adhikari)

peak in the world is a task not often done alone. Even the first man to reach Everest’s peak, Edmund Hillary, had someone assist him along the way. That man was Tenzing Norgay, a mountaineering Sherpa.

The Sherpas are an ethnic group in Nepal who specialize in mountaineering.

Without the help from Sherpas, summiting Everest would be nearly impossible.

They are experts on the mountain and on how to successfully reach the top. They guide climbers, carry the necessary equipment, set up camps

and know what parts of the mountain to avoid.

Nepal is widely recognized for Sherpas, the Himalayas and its enormous elevation, but sitting much closer to sea level is another important aspect of the country: the city of Kathmandu Valley – a city much warmer than the shivering Himalayas.

“The winter is not that cold,” said Chandani Rana, a senior at Springfield College.

Rana is from Nepal and she spent a portion of her life living in Kathmandu. She is one of the 16 Nepalese students who left their

home next to the ominous yet irresistible mountains to style on the campus of Springfield College.

“Since [Everest] is the highest mountain in the world, we feel very proud of that,” said Bibek Gaire, a sophomore at Springfield majoring in computer sciences.

Gaire, like Rana and a number of the Nepal students, is from Kathmandu Valley, the largest city in Nepal with a population of around 1.5 million people.

Kathmandu is broken up into three districts – Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kathmandu.

Each district can be reached through a single eight-lane, demented circular road, also known as Ring Road.

It’s comparable to a rotary, except this one is 16 miles long.

The road allows you to explore all parts of the condensed city of Kathmandu. Looking at the city from a bird’s view, it would be hard to notice any space between the buildings.

“The houses are very close. They don’t have a gap,” Gaire said.

The city continues to add more building and housing units due to the rapid population growth in the city and country of Nepal. This, among other things, is resulting in a massive pollution problem for the country.

According to IQAir, the air quality in Kathmandu is currently deemed as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

A portion of this problem also poors in from the waste left on the Himalayas. The biggest problem comes from Everest’s Base Camp which stands at 17,598 feet. The higher the trash is left, the longer it takes to decompose.

“The environment is getting degraded,” Gaire said.

Despite the pollution problem that the city is facing, Kathmandu is the home to a ravishing array of trees, waterfalls and hiking trails

XV which can be found in the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. These sorts of parks and trails are what Gaire loves about Kathmandu.

“There are places where it is peaceful with very fresh air,” Gaire said.

Most people recognize Kathmandu for being a part of the Himalayas, but an often overlooked aspect of the city is how in touch the country is with different religions. It is often referred to as the City of Temples.

Multiple religions are practiced in Kathmandu, but the majority of people recognize the customs of Hinduism.

In fact, Kathmandu is home to the Pashupatinath Temple, the biggest Hindu temple in Nepal.

The temple has a gold exterior with colorful and vibrant flags hanging off of a string that descends from the temple’s point. Its rich history and religious importance bring in hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists.

Although the Himalayas, and especially Everest, are what most people think about when they think of Nepal, the other faces of the country are not to be forgotten.

See additional content on scstudentmedia.com.

Students from Nepal

Supriya Aryal Kushal Bhandari Bibek Gaire Hrishikesh Lamichhane Chandani Rana

Aavash Sapkota Barsha Shah Rasika Adhikari Anmol Baruwal Manish Bhusal Shara Karmacharya

Rahab Moktan Priyam Nepal Sneha Thapaliya Prashant Timalsina Aabhash Rana

COMM 482

Collin Atwood Hayden Choate Ty Coney Daniel Curren

Sean Doyle Nico Fiscella Aiden Fitzpatrick Chris Gionta Amanda Hitchcock

Cait Kemp David Kilburn Irene Rotondo (Professor Marty Dobrow)