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be bold
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ON THE GO
Anthropology’s Medha Asthana may be finishing her (very busy) time at UCI, but the 2016 soc sci commencement speaker has no plans to slow down—or stop learning
J
ust try to keep up with Medha Asthana.
One of the School of Social Sciences 2016 commencement speakers, she lives a life of exploration and is always on the move. From her double major in anthropology and business administration to her involvement in a multitude of oncampus organizations and her stints abroad in places like Costa Rica and Chile, she is continuously seeking out new experiences and ways to make an impact in the world. And that’s just how she likes it.
she might have a knack for business, so when it came time to apply for colleges, she looked for schools with strong business and communications programs. UCI’s business administration program made the cut, but by the time Asthana found out she was admitted, she had already committed to another university. Her parents encouraged her to at least visit the UCI campus, so she tentatively agreed. But by the end of her first campus tour, there was no hesitation—she knew she belonged at UCI.
“I’m always absorbing things,” she says, “like a greedy sponge is how I think of it. I’ve always been a curious student, and I’ve just taken that and applied it to the university space.”
“Because of that one tour, the next week I enrolled at UCI,” she says. “I was very impressed by the atmosphere, the friendly feel. I could see myself here.”
This natural curiosity has served Asthana well, and she has received a remarkable number of honors in her time at UCI. She’s been awarded the 2015-16 UCI Alumni Association Distinguished Anteater Award, a 2015 Reward Opportunity Advancing Distinguished Students Scholarship, the 2015 Elena B. and William R. Schonfeld Endowed Scholarship, been named an Undergraduate Research Program Fellow, and more.
With a laundry list of interests and a campus full of opportunities, Asthana wasted no time in getting involved in extracurriculars. Her first order of business was joining the team at Middle Earth student housing as a community programmer. It was a way to meet her first-year peers, and really interact with people from all different backgrounds.
Her inquisitive nature has taken her in all directions as a student as well. Even in high school, she never had a clear-cut idea about what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. There were simply too many options. She enjoyed English and social studies and was a good writer, but also found herself to be an adept public speaker. Her father suggested that
“Housing really exemplifies UCI,” she says. “You find the most amazing, interesting, and unique individuals there. And it’s a very accepting space. There’s a lot of themes like social justice, community service, LGBTQ and gender friendly halls—everything there is very comfortable and it’s a very open, inclusive space.” She also began to explore in the classroom, taking an introductory
anthropology course out of curiosity. The subject really spoke to her, and she continued taking classes, eventually declaring herself a double major. During her second year—while taking a break from her work with student housing—Asthana packed her schedule with a number of on- and offcampus activities. She joined ASUCI as a Business-Marketing Commission intern, wrote for the off-campus UP Lab blog, served as a senior consultant with Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations, and—after being inspired by her own UCI tour guide—joined the UCI Campus Representatives. “My whole UCI career is characterized by me exploring every nook and cranny of the campus,” she says. “Really, it was my way of forming myself and seeing where I fit in.”