When choosing a university to attend, current UW- Madison sophomore Varun Rajesh says that it all came down to academics. His parents always implored him to study hard and stay out of trouble, and this played a big part in his decision to attend UW Madison.
Varun is from Princeton, New Jersey and is a first generation American citizen. Both of his parents were born in India, and he still has a large part of his family that lives there. Varun says that his parents always emphasized the importance of their culture, and while he did not always embrace it, he respected their desire for him to carry on the traditions.
After a successful high school career surrounded by many people from a similar background, Varun began his college search with…show more content… While Varun says he has not had to seek too much guidance in adjusting from a diverse high school, he still desires an environment where help is available if needed.
He says that professors need to be open and available, and that he would feel comfortable talking to most professors about diversity issues on campus. Varun does also say that the issues of diversity and handling any problems does not always fall on faculty.
“It’s not about what the governing bodies of the school can do,” Varun said. “It’s what the student body can do.”
Varun points to issues of distinction as one of the main barriers to a less divided campus. He wants people to learn the different between international student and students that come from international backgrounds. He says it is unfair to group all people together just because they look alike, and that you need to talk to them before making any sort of judgements.
When asked about possible solutions or ideas for the University, Varun had plethora of good ideas. The main belief he holds is that informing the campus about differences is the most important, and he want people to be aware of what’s around