The Value of an American Education

VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 4

https://spanmag.com

CONTENTS 8 EntropyWorkshop/iStock/Getty Images 28 Dantes De MonteCristo/Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

2* The Value of an American Education

7* Women Who Paved the Way 8 * Safety and Security at U.S. Campuses 12 * Looking Beyond Ivy Leagues 20 * OPT: Optional Yet Optimal 22 * Where Women Are Front and Center 28 * Open Doors With a STEM Degree 32 * Pursue Your Non-STEM Passion

36 * Expertspeak on U.S. Student Visas

38 * Skills for a Successful Student Life

41 * Clubbing Together for Inclusivity

22

Barnard College/Courtesy Flickr

Editor in Chief Nicole S. Holler Editor Deepanjali Kakati Hindi Associate Editor Giriraj Agarwal Urdu Associate Editor Syed Sulaiman Akhtar English Copy Editor Krittika Sharma Urdu Copy Editor Zahoor Hussain Bhat Art Director/ Production Chief Hemant Bhatnagar Deputy Art Directors / Production Assistants Qasim Raza, Shah Faisal Khan Front cover: gorodenkoff/ iStock/Getty Images

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Printed and published by Gloria F. Berbena on behalf of the Government of the United States of America and printed at Infinity Advertising Services (P) Ltd., Plot No.-171 & 172, Sector58, Faridabad 121004 and published at the Public Affairs Section, American Embassy, American Center, 24 K.G. Marg, New Delhi 110001. Opinions expressed in this 44-page magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.

The Value of an American Education

ByMICHAELGALLANT

Renu Khator

launched an inspiring career after studying in the United States. You can, too.

Renu Khator has served as the chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of its flagship University of Houston campus since January 2008.

hen Renu Khator was 18, she received less than two weeks’notice that she would soon be married to a stranger, disrupt her education and move to the United States. Without being able to speak a single sentence of English. Given such a sudden transition, it’s all the more remarkable that, today, Khator is a W hugely successful academic leader and administrator. She has served as the chancellor of the University of Houston System and as the president of its flagship University of Houston campus since January 2008. Khator is the first female chancellor in the state of Texas, and the first Indian American to lead a comprehensive research university in the United States. Khator attributes her success to perseverance, hard work and an unshakable commitment to pursuing her education and dreams—all of which are principles that can help today’s Indian students launch stellar careers of their own.

Below: Renu Khator went to the United States in 1973, along with her husband Suresh Khator (left), who was a Ph.D. student at Purdue University in Indiana. Below right: As president of the University of Houston, Renu Khator (center) leads thousands of academic staff members and tens of thousands of students. India to Indiana

Khator grew up in a small town near Agra in Uttar Pradesh, in what she describes as a “very protected environment.” The daughter and granddaughter of lawyers, Khator attended strict all-girls schools and traveled extensively with her family during summers. “My dream was to get the highest degree possible,” she says. “I absolutely loved education and knew I wanted to study political science.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Kanpur University in 1973, Khator was getting ready to continue to a master’s program when she learned that she was about to be married to a young Indian engineer who was pursuing a Ph.D. at Purdue

H o u s t o n o f U n i v e r s i t y c o u r t e s y P h o t o g r a p h s

Go Online

Renu Khator

www.uh.edu/president/about/biography

University of Houston

www.uh.edu

University in Indiana. Within 10 days, Khator was living in the United States—and heartbroken. “My husband (Suresh Khator) asked me why I was so sad,” she says. “I told him it was because my dream of getting an education was dead.”

Together, Khator and her husband brought it back to life. She began attending graduatelevel classes at Purdue University, even though she spoke no English and couldn’t understand anything being said in the lectures. Khator could read English “but comprehension was literally zero,” she says.

Her husband suggested she could work on English comprehension by watching television. So she began to watch shows like “I Love Lucy” and the news. “I was very stubborn,” Khator says, laughing, “and even though I cried my heart out because it was so frustrating and hard, I kept going.”

At the university, there were written assignments every week. Her papers used to come back marked heavily in red ink because “there was so much wrong in them, but I started to learn,” she says.

Khator says she was good at writing, even

Above: Renu Khator addresses a class at the University of Houston. She advises firstgeneration international students to be passionate about their dreams and follow them with guts and determination.

though in India she always wrote in Hindi. “So, the thought process was there,” she says. She wrote draft after draft of papers for her classes. “My husband took me out to buy ice cream and helped me feel better after difficult days, and he took a second job to help pay my tuition.”

Over time, she understood that her professors wanted to read her own views on the assigned topics, instead of papers based on views attributed to scholars and experts. And it helped that she had a solid foundation of theoretical concepts, thanks to her education in India.

Khator’s hard work paid off. By the end of the semester, she had gained proficiency in spoken English, and received the highest marks in both of the classes she had enrolled in. “Once I figured out they were looking for more pragmatic and practical knowledge, I think I just flourished then because I just knew exactly what to do,” she says. Belief and action

It’s easy to feel intimidated by Khator’s against-the-odds journey and incredible

accomplishments. But she emphasizes that every young person has the potential to achieve amazing things. “All of us have talent and are special, and remember that I’m just an average person!” she says, laughing. “You have to believe that life will provide opportunities. There will be doors that open for you. And if not doors, windows. There’s a long life ahead. You will have chances to make your own path, and to be inspired by mentors.”

Khator describes the United States as a generous and accepting place for Indian students, and says that learning in America is a great opportunity. Students should make their choices about whether or not to study abroad based not only on reading, research and school reputations, she advises, but on “what your gut tells you. If I could come to the United States without speaking English, and achieve what I have achieved as an average person, just imagine what you can achieve with the possibilities and technological tools you have today. I believe in you and I wish you the best. If I can support you in any way, I’m here to help.”

Right: Renu Khator describes the United States as a generous and accepting place for international students who have the chance to create their own path and be inspired by mentors along the way.

If I could come to the United States without speaking English, and achieve what I have achieved as an average person, just imagine what you can achieve with the possibilities and technological tools you have today.

H o u s t o n o f U n i v e r s i t y C o u r t e s y

New beginnings

Khator went on to complete her master’s studies at Purdue, become a mother to two girls, travel between India and the United States and earn her Ph.D. in political science and public administration, also from Purdue.

Prior to her appointment at the University of Houston, Khator was provost and senior vice president at the University of South Florida.

She has received many honors for her groundbreaking leadership, including the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest award given to overseas Indians, in 2014.

Khator says her success required sacrifices from both her and her husband, and that their grit and teamwork played a key role. She shares her hard-earned experiences with her university community.

“Here at the University of Houston, there’s a large population of first-generation students who have faced adversity,” says Khator. “I tell them all that they should have passion behind their dreams, and not to let them go. The United States is a land of opportunities. Things may become difficult, but if you have the guts and determination, paths will open before you.”

Michael Gallant is a New York City-based writer, musician and entrepreneur.