I was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. I was exposed to the international sphere at a very early age through my parents, who both work in the tourism industry. My international education began with the United World College scholarship, which allowed me the opportunity to attend high school in Norway and afterwards, I received a full scholarship to complete my bachelor’s degree at Yale College.

I applied to the Graduate Institute because law and international relations have always been a passion of mine. The year after my graduation from Yale and before beginning law school, I wanted to gain experience at an international non-governmental organisation (INGO), while also pursuing a research-driven education; the accelerated master’s programme, a partnership between Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the Graduate Institute, was the perfect solution.

The Washington, D.C. scholarship has allowed me to pursue my education and passion without having to worry about how to make money to pay for even basic things. I am incredibly lucky to be able to do an unpaid internship next term—as most of them are unpaid—something that would not be possible without this scholarship. 

At the moment, I am taking classes that interest me and filling in the gaps of my intellectual knowledge, so I am studying everything from global finance to corporate responsibility. My thesis is on Female Political Participation in Nepal, where I will be travelling to conduct field research, also made possible by the Scholarship.

I hope to pursue a law degree in the U.S. after another year of working in the field or at a human rights non-governmental organisation (NGO). Eventually, I would like to work as a human rights lawyer or as legal counsel for an INGO. I would love any and all career advice, tips, ideas about his field of work, so please feel free to reach out to me.

The Graduate Institute’s Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter has been awarding their eponymous scholarship for ten years. The Scholarship’s objective is to promote awareness of the Graduate Institute in the United States, while also helping the Institute recruit graduate students of high calibre. The Scholarship is available for first-year masters or doctoral students, irrespective of nationality, who wish to study at the Institute from an American university. It is awarded based on academic achievement and then economic need and funds nine months of study.