Name: Maidhili Tantravahi
Major: Disaster Studies
Classification: Graduate Student
Graduation date: Fall 2023
Home country: Vizag, India
Extracurricular activities: “So, I do work on campus. I’m a graduate assistant with GradCentral. We work with a lot of different types of graduate students’ needs. It’s basically the U Central of graduate students. I, also, volunteer at the Humanitarian Respite Center [in McAllen]. I help out my neighbors with their kids. I do a lot of babysitting, things like that.”
What are the differences between your hometown and the United States? “I cannot answer that question for you. I moved when I was [little], so I don’t have much of a recollection. The language for one is, you know, obviously very different. I … grew up in a bilingual home, so we speak a South Indian language called Telugu. So, I grew up speaking that at home and English in school, and university and everything. And then, of course, being in the [Rio Grande] Valley, I’ve picked up a bit of Spanish here and there, but not enough to converse.”
What is on your bucket list? “In my bucket list, oh my gosh, I want to travel. I was hoping I would be able to do that in 2020, … but, of course, the pandemic happened and put all plans on hold. But I really … want to be able to see other countries and live in other countries, at least a few years. … So, travel and experience other international locations. Definitely want to see Australia. There’s so much biodiversity there. … And then a lot of my countries that I want to visit are in Asia, actually. So, I want to see South Korea, China–actually I’m learning Mandarin right now–Japan, Thailand, Indonesia. Those are kind of the starting places.”
Who is your role model? “My older sister is definitely [my] role model. … When we came to the United States, she was in the middle of high school and had to transition to a completely new system. And, you know, high school is such an important time, going into college and, like, preparing for the entrance exams. … And she did it so well, setting an incredible example for all the younger ones. And, you know, [she] went through college. She works in the medical field now. … The way she embraces different types of challenges and handles them with grace and succeeds at them, I find very admirable.”
Why did you choose the major you are in? “I have always had an interest in sociology. … I have always tried to volunteer [to] help out as much as I can in terms of, like, relief efforts. But I was also very curious about how to improve those relief efforts and how organizations are set up to work with these types of events, emergency management, basically. So, I chose it because I want to eventually work with nonprofits or [non-governmental organizations] doing humanitarian aid work.”
What movies or shows do you like? “That changes depending on the season. So, right now, because I’m learning Mandarin, I have been watching a lot of Chinese dramas. … There’s genres, … called Xianxia, or Wuxia, which is, like, fantasy or martial arts-based dramas and I’ve been watching a lot of those recently. [I] haven’t seen too many movies. It’s mostly dramas that I watched, and they’re all, like, 60 episodes per series.”
What advice would you give other international students?
“I would say, ‘Don’t be afraid to explore new things and immerse yourself in the new culture to whatever degree you are willing to do that and able to do that. But find a balance between that immersion and taking the best of the new culture that you are in and learning about.’ … Every culture has something beautiful to share, whether it’s with music and art or, you know, values, in terms of how that culture has evolved socially. … Be proud of who you are and where you’ve come from–your roots. But, also, be open to learning about how other people live.”
–Compiled by Fatima Gamez Lopez
