This is Episode 11 of Interlocking Threads: Conversations with International Students! This conversation was recorded on October 25th, 2020 when we spoke with Malvika Dua from India, Sitashma Thapa from Nepal, and Srija Banerjee from India. The three of them graduated amidst the pandemic this spring and in our conversation shared their experience of adapting to changing plans, their relationship to the American Dream, and shared how domestic citizens can use their rights to support international students and immigrants. To hear more about who these three are, check out the episode introductions on our profile.

Malvika Dua is originally from India. She graduated from Earlham College in 2020 with a degree in Neuroscience. She is currently a Research Associate for Flavell Lab at MIT.

Srija Banerjee is originally from India. She graduated from Earlham College in 2020 with a degree in International Studies. She currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she is pursuing her Masters of Science in Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University.

Sitashma Thapa is originally from Nepal. She graduated from Earlham College in 2020 with a double major in Environmental Sustainability and Sociology & Anthropology. Sitashma currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana where she is pursuing her Masters in Philanthropic Studies as a McKinney Fellow. The fellowship focuses on environmental conservation and environmental philanthropy allowing Sitashma to specialize in her field.

Music Credit: Jordan Connor

Special thanks to Steve Schwartz who helps us with the editing and sound of our episodes. He has a music tech startup that makes special microphones for acoustic musical instruments, at YourHeavenAudio.com