About Me

I was born and raised in a small village in Bajhang district in far-western Nepal. My family depended on farming, and daily life was shaped by the limitations of geography and infrastructure. There was no electricity, no road access, and no phone network. Supplies moved along narrow mountain trails, carried by people or by pack animals (donkeys). In the early mornings, the sound of bells tied around donkeys’ necks echoed through the hills as they passed our home on their way to higher settlements. Those sounds remain one of my earliest memories of village life.

My formal education began with a thirty-minute uphill walk to a primary school that offered classes only up to Grade 3. Fewer than a dozen students studied there, all seated in the same room under the guidance of a single teacher. We did not have notebooks or standard pens. Instead, we wrote on thin wooden boards using handmade bamboo pens dipped in white clay ink. The resources were minimal, yet those early years established the discipline and curiosity that would guide me forward.

Continuing beyond Grade 3 required greater commitment. The nearest school offering education up to Grade 8 was nearly three hours away on foot. To make attendance possible, my parents rented a small room in a nearby village, still about an hour’s walk from the school. My older brother and I lived there for four years. We returned home on Saturdays, the only weekend day in Nepal, and early each Sunday our mother walked back with us, carrying food and essentials for the week ahead. Living away from home at a young age strengthened my sense of responsibility and self-reliance.

There was another secondary school closer to our village that offered classes up to Grade 10, but a river called Bahuligad (river) lay between our home and that school, and there was no bridge to cross it safely. By the time I completed Grade 8, a suspension bridge had been constructed. That single piece of infrastructure changed my educational path, allowing me to continue my studies without relocating again.

In Grade 10, I took the national School Leaving Certificate examination, widely regarded at the time as one of the most significant academic milestones for students in Nepal. I was the only student from my school to pass that year. Around this period, my family installed a small solar panel system at home and purchased a modest television. Although simple by urban standards, these developments reflected meaningful progress for us.

Since there were no institutions near my village offering education beyond Grade 10, I moved to Dhangadhi to pursue higher secondary studies. This transition exposed me to a very different academic environment. Classes were conducted in English, and students regularly used mobile phones and computers, technologies I had not previously encountered. Adjusting to this setting was challenging. During my first year, I struggled academically and failed several midterm examinations. Over time, consistent effort and adaptation improved my performance. By the end of Grade 12, I graduated as the top student in my college.

Encouraged by my parents to pursue a professional degree, I chose engineering. Admission to engineering programs in Nepal is determined through a competitive nationwide entrance examination. Each year, thousands of students compete for a limited number of government-sponsored seats in leading institutions. On my first attempt, I ranked far below the required cutoff. The result was disappointing, but I decided to prepare again. In my second attempt, I ranked within the top 170 nationwide. That achievement secured me a government scholarship to study Civil Engineering at Pulchowk Campus, one of Nepal’s most respected engineering institutions.

Studying civil engineering felt closely connected to the realities I had experienced growing up, particularly the importance of infrastructure in shaping opportunity. Completing my undergraduate degree under government sponsorship significantly reduced the financial burden on my family and represented an important step forward for all of us.

Today, I am pursuing graduate studies in the United States as a first-generation student. The path from a village without electricity or road access to advanced academic research has been shaped by persistence, discipline, and the steady encouragement of my family. Each stage of this journey has reinforced my belief that access to education can transform individual lives and strengthen communities.

I remain deeply grateful to my parents for their sacrifices, their faith in my education, and their constant support throughout every stage of my journey.