Ashutosh Tamrakar ’12

Why did I choose Lafayette?

Lafayette is a small, tight-knit community that promotes interaction among faculty, students, and administration. Even prior to my coming here, the chats and feedback from enrolled students and the special care from Janine Block, our international adviser, left a lasting impression on me.

The chance to pursue both an engineering and a liberal arts degree was probably the first thing that stood out to me about Lafayette. Among the thousands of colleges in the U.S., Lafayette is one of a handful of institutions that offer a strong engineering program while providing the comfortable atmosphere of the liberal arts.

I have always wanted to "mix things up," so to speak, and I found Lafayette the perfect place to do so. Chemical engineering is challenging, but it also is flexible enough that I have the opportunity to take a major in the humanities.

The art department is small, and its faculty members are passionate and very much focused on student learning. You always can count on getting individual attention and input from your professors. I enjoy the freedom I am given in the studio art classes to discover and experiment under their guidance and encouragement.

Lafayette provides both a hands-on opportunity for skill development and focused career planning. Since Lafayette is an undergraduate-only institution, research opportunities like the EXCEL Scholars program and other research expense grants enable students to get involved in professional-level projects. Moreover, the Gateway program through the Office of Career Services helps students to market their qualities and keep a leg up in the job market.

Advice for international students: Get involved. Take part in clubs, study abroad, EXCEL research, externships, and internships. College is a time for self-discovery. Try new things — you might just find something you love.

Tamrakar is a member of the International Students Association, the Arts Society, and the Chemical Engineers Association. He has served as a resident assistant for Keefe Hall, a teaching assistant for the art department, and a gallery assistant for the Williams Center and Grossman galleries. He also worked as an EXCEL Scholar analyzing a photographic record of Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule.

Diana Haşegan ’10

Hometown: Târgu Mureş, Romania
A.B.Economics & Business and B.S. Civil engineering

Why did I choose Lafayette?

II decided to apply to Lafayette because it ranked very high in engineering programs at liberal arts colleges. I wanted to pursue the liberal arts because of the well-rounded education you receive, but I also wanted to study an engineering curriculum to develop a technical and transferable skill set. I found Lafayette to be the perfect combination of breadth and depth.

My life goal is to be a leader of change in my community, my city, my country, and my world. The biggest challenge I will probably face is bringing this change to Romania's most deficient sectors: education and infrastructure. Lafayette has inspired me to have the courage to do big things – to be the change I want to see in the world – and it has helped me to hone the skills that will be of greatest need to me after college. The things I have acquired at Lafayette are communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills; time management and networking abilities; and a keen interest in all of the subjects of knowledge.

The people I have met while at Lafayette have enhanced my experience in a variety of ways. The personal attention and interaction with members of the Lafayette community were main factors in my decision to apply here. From them, I've learned the norms of a new society, I've perfected my English speaking and writing skills, I've explored subjects and places I hadn't even thought of before Lafayette, and more importantly I've learned about myself.

Advice for international students: Think long and hard about the decision to study abroad. It is a good amount of effort just to apply, and then it is a great effort to adapt to a new society and culture and to become completely independent. But it is tremendously rewarding if you are up to the challenges of being an international student.

Hasegan is a resident adviser and member of the leadership team for the Reeder Fellows House. She has studied abroad in Hong Kong and New Zealand, and has worked on a number of EXCEL and independent research projects focusing on sustainability. She is a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Phi Beta Kappa honor society, the Omicron Delta Epsilon international economics honor society, and the tennis club.

Martín Melendro ’11

Hometown: Bogotâ, Colombia
Majors: B.S. Electrical & Computer engineering

Why did I choose Lafayette?

During my college search, I considered many factors. For Lafayette, its small size, which brings about a very close relationship with faculty, as well as the opportunity to work on research, was very appealing. I also was interested in the combined electrical and computer engineering program, which is not offered in many other institutions. Lafayette also is well-known for providing generous financial aid to international students, a major factor for me and many other international students when considering studying at an American institution. 

I heard about Lafayette from my high school counselor. He put me in contact with Sebastian Barreto Ortiz ’10, who had graduated from my high school and is a chemical engineering major. I was able to exchange several emails with him, which helped me make the decision to come to Lafayette and answered many of my questions about studying abroad.

I have always been interested in energy, in all its forms. Nevertheless, electrical energy, and the endless possibilities of its uses, fascinated me during my last years in high school. I am a big fan of the rapid development of technology, but believe that it carries interdisciplinary responsibilities that humans have to face in order to avoid major social, economical, and environmental problems. Lafayette, with its liberal arts environment, is not only a great place to acquire the technical knowledge, but also to apply it in research programs and understand its implications at different levels with the College’s multidisciplinary approach.

Advice for international students: I would suggest getting in contact with other international students at Lafayette as soon as possible. It is always hard, if not impossible, for international students to visit the schools they are applying to abroad, but having a firsthand opinion from someone who has faced a very similar situation is a very good way to surpass this difficulty. Once here, I would recommend getting active and participating in on-campus organizations and clubs. There's certainly something for everyone here.

Melendro is a member of Lafayette’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders and has traveled to Honduras twice to help implement water systems in poor rural areas. He also is a member of the International Student Association and the Hispanic Society of Lafayette, and lived on the Heritage of Latin America floor. He has studied abroad in Bremen, Germany, and worked on EXCEL Scholars research focusing on alternative energy sources.

Zara Piracha ’11

Hometown: Karachi, Pakista
Majors: A.B. economics & business and Psychology

Why did I choose Lafayette?

I always knew I wanted a liberal arts education, and I felt that Lafayette offered the right mix of courses and classes to give me a solid foundation in several areas, while still enabling me to pursue my own interests. I would certainly say that the small size was another factor that attracted me to Lafayette because, after all, it is the size that allows you to have smaller classes and more personal interactions with professors.

 I started out as a mathematics-economics joint major but in the second semester of my freshman year, I took an introductory psychology course and simply knew that psychology was something I wanted to pursue as well. Lafayette encourages and enables that kind of flexibility. They want you to find your niche.

I could not have made it through my first year of college without the kindness and support of my host parent, Donna Kneule, art director for periodicals in communications. My adviser, Fluney Hutchinson, associate professor of economics, always has been a source of inspiration and pushed me to go beyond my limits. My interest in diverse cultures and customs has been enhanced through the people I have met in various organizations.

Advice for international students: Integrate. Be open-minded. Don’t be afraid to try new things or move out of your comfort zone. Meet new people; learn about them and let them learn about you.  Don’t look back at what could have or should have been. Rather, make the most of what you have while you have it, and your college experience at Lafayette will be unforgettable.

Piracha is a member of the International Students Association and the International Affairs Club, and she served as secretary of the Hispanic Society of Lafayette. She works as a resident adviser and conducted EXCEL Scholars research focusing on the history of a turbulent region in Germany.

Shelvean Kapita ’10

Hometown: Harare, Zimbabwe
A.B. Physics and B.S. Mathematics

Why did I choose Lafayette?

Lafayette's reputation for undergraduate research influenced my decision to apply here. I was impressed by the EXCEL Scholars program and by the fact that undergraduates can do research worthy of publication. I wanted to go to a small liberal arts college, but I was not sure if I wanted to major in engineering, math, or physics. Lafayette was the rational choice for me because it allowed me to explore all of them first before deciding.

Lafayette is an ideal place to pursue mathematics, physics, and philosophy (my minor) because the departments are small, professors are really interested in your learning, and there are many opportunities to dive into research, even graduate-level research. The EXCEL program has really enhanced my experience at Lafayette because it allowed me to go beyond the classroom experience and get involved in real and cutting-edge scholarly activities. Lafayette’s small size makes it possible for students to get involved in so many things.

After graduating, I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics. Lafayette has prepared me well for graduate school because of my EXCEL research. Also, the math department is so full of life and contagious enthusiasm; the faculty really helps students become excited about math.

Advice for international students:   Explore many things and take advantage of the resources that Lafayette has to offer. Try taking courses outside of your major; you might discover new interests in other disciplines. If you have a particular academic interest (perhaps you also are interested in human rights), talk to a professor in that area and do an independent study. You will learn much more independently than by just attending lectures.

Kapita is a member of the International Students Association, Africans Creating African Consciousness and Interest Abroad, the physics club, and the math club. He also has participated in EXCEL Scholars research focusing on computational physics, differential geometry, and radio astronomy.