Biology major embraces uncertainty and finds herself at York College

Indu Bastakoti was just 9 years old when her father moved the family from Nepal to America to give her and her siblings a better life. Growing up, she had heard the story of her father’s unfulfilled dream of becoming a doctor. When it was time for her to choose a profession, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I kind of wanted to make his dreams come true,” Indu says.

Indu enrolled at York College of Pennsylvania and started as a Biology major on the Pre-Medical track. Over the next three and a half years, though, that certainty in her future plans began to change.

She learned who she was on her own. She found her place as a leader and student advocate. She began to feel comfortable in her own skin, embracing her unique mix of Nepalese and American culture. She eventually realized she didn’t want to become a pediatrician, at least not right now. Indu says she’s OK with that, because along the winding road from where she started to where she’s at now, she’s figured out who she is.

Fulfilling the family dream

It’s a lot of pressure — not wanting to waste the opportunity your family sacrificed so much to provide. But while she was earning her degree in Biology at York College, Indu also began assessing her strengths and weaknesses. She began to value her own desires for her future to help figure out what would make her happy. She remembers asking herself, what is it that I want to do? “That really helped me,” she says.

Indu considers herself a social butterfly, a strong leader, and a people person. So, after she graduates next spring, she’s planning to become a pharmaceutical sales representative. It’s a way for her to utilize some of her people skills and still be involved in the medical world.

A leader on campus

As a residence assistant and the student senate’s president, Indu has made it her mission to help her fellow students find their way, too. “To be their safety net feels really good,” she says.

She gives her fellow students a voice and the power to make change on campus. She’s been involved in sustainability, handicap accessibility issues and the push for a smoke-free campus. As an RA, she serves as a connector to all the resources York College has to offer, as well as being a kind of emotional guiding light.

Indu’s completely immersed in York College’s culture, volunteering for any event she can and help solve problems anywhere else. “I just feel so connected,” she says. “I love the people on York’s campus.”