Finding success as an international student

October 29, 2007

Sanjeev Shrestha

With inspiration from a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater alumnus and a strong desire to obtain a four-year degree in the United States, international student Sanjeev Shrestha made the decision to maximize his learning potential and enhance his education by enrolling at UW-Whitewater.

Growing up in Butwal, a small town in Nepal, Shrestha had the option to study medicine or engineering upon completing high school. However, it was Shrestha's uncle Roshan Tandukar, UW-Whitewater graduate, who motivated Shrestha to pursue an education in the United States. With help from his uncle, Shrestha explored the UW-Whitewater Web page, applied for admission and began completing his university form.

Shrestha has been at UW-Whitewater since fall 2005 and had a cumulative G.P.A. of 4.0 throughout his first two semesters at UW-Whitewater. As a management computer systems (MCS) major, he is currently maintaining a 3.9 G.P.A. and said he is happy to be at one of the best places to study MCS. Shrestha balances a lot as a full-time student while working and participating in several student organizations.

"This has, and continues to be, a great experience for me. I am learning more than I could have expected to back home," Shrestha said. "I am meeting so many people from this experience and I truly enjoy learning more about their cultures."

Shrestha works on campus with Residence Life and the Global Business Resource Center. He is also involved in the International Student Association where he serves organization's secretary and the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). Shrestha is also planning to join Golden Key, an honor society comprised of the top 15 percent of juniors and seniors at UW-Whitewater.

"I came to the United States to graduate and get my degree, and I have never been this busy before. It is exciting to have so many opportunities and be a part of so many different things while going to school," Shrestha said.

To help finance his tuition, Shrestha applied for and received a competitive regional scholarship from the Milwaukee chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) for the fall 2007 semester. SIM is regarded as the premier network for IT leadership, composed of senior IT executives, prominent academicians, selected consultants and other IT community leaders. As part of its mission, SIM is dedicated to bringing its members together to share and enhance their rich intellectual capital for their own benefit and the benefit of their organizations.

"This is a prestigious honor for Shrestha and something to be proud of," MCS Professor Robert Horton said. "As a professional computer society, SIM is very interested in developing the IT workforce and this scholarship is just another manifestation of their intense interest to help improve the field."

Shrestha said he was surprised to win the scholarship, stating it was reinforcement for why he is at UW-Whitewater and why he is in business.

"This has been such a positive experience and the best part is knowing I can be independent and survive on my own," he said. "That is a good feeling."

For information, contact Robert Horton at (262) 472-1467 or hortonb@uww.edu.