Sunada Khadka
Growing up in a community where being afflicted with disease is still considered a misfortune, Sunada determined early on that her future was to study medicine so she could educate people and improve the healthcare system in her native country of Nepal. Having been accepted to several top graduate programs in the U.S., Sunada has chosen to pursue a Ph.D. in cancer therapeutics for the treatment of metastatic cancers this fall at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “I remember one of my high school physics teacher telling me, ‘Women are inherently not capable of doing physics or mathematics.’ I tried my best to prove him wrong, but his comments had a long-lasting effect on my confidence. For that reason alone, I chose to attend a women’s college where my identity as a woman would not be a label for my capabilities and strength.” Sunada spent the summer of 2014 as a research student in the Summer Scholars program at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The experience helped her understand and appreciate the
interdisciplinary approach of biomedical research. “I acquired new experimental and organizational skills, and I became acutely aware of the importance of well-designed experiments, which now allows me to troubleshoot unexpected problems with confidence.” In the summer of 2015 she was a research student in the CPRIT-CURE Summer Scholars program working under the supervision of the president of MD Anderson Cancer Center. As a result, Sunada is listed as co-author for a paper soon to be published and another that was recently published in Cancer Discovery. Graduating summa cum laude with a double major in biology and chemistry and a minor in mathematics, this Munroe Scholar was a member of four honor societies, serving as vice president for Wesleyan’s Tri Beta and Alpha Lambda Delta chapters, and earned the Academic Center Tutor of the Year award. She also served as AXIS president and on the Cultural Diversity Board. She was a resident advisor, an SGA Green Knight senator, SGA Cultural Diversity co-chair, and a founding member
and writer for Astitwa, an organization based in Nepal that advocates for women’s reproductive rights and health. In April, Sunada received the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Outstanding Senior Award and the Biology Senior Achievement Award. She was also selected by her peers as the Wesleyan Woman of Success. While her older sister is still in college in Nepal, Sunada will be the first person in her family to earn a college degree. Her younger sister Pratima is a Purple Knight of 2018 and the first international student in Wesleyan’s nursing program. “Before coming to Wesleyan, I envisioned myself to be academically successful, paving my path to a reputable graduate program. I was able to stay true to my plans, but Wesleyan gave me more than just academics. The Wesleyan experience developed my interest and passion in social issues pertaining to gender equality, socioeconomic justice for minorities, reproductive rights of women, and intercultural conflict and resolution. Although I have committed myself to science, I will always be an advocate for these issues.” Wesleyan Magazine Summer 2016