Nitesh Kalwar

Three years ago Nitesh Kalwar lay in his bed in the Nepalese hamlet of Birgunj and fretted about his future in America.

“I didn’t know many schools here in the U.S.,” Kalwar, a junior business and finance major, said. “I was so worried that I corresponded with over 800 schools, sending e-mails.”

Of those 800 schools, Kalwar somehow narrowed it down to TCU.

“To be honest, I didn’t come to TCU on purpose—it wasn’t my first choice,” he said. “I thought the brochures they sent to international kids were kind of stupid.”

However, the generous financial aid and the allure of a small community won him over, he said.

“I expected more tall buildings,” he said. “Even my town has some four-story buildings.”

Kalwar said he now feels at home.

“I truly like TCU because the faculty and staff and the students are very friendly,” he said.

Since his arrival, he has excelled in his classes and founded or joined over seven clubs.

“Freshman year I wasn’t involved in anything,” he said. “Later on I realized that I wanted to get more involved.”

Kalwar said the there was a lot to learn about Fort Worth when he first got here, and the culture shock was overwhelming.

“I remember they asked, ‘Why do you think we’re called cowboys,” and I said, ‘Maybe because you eat cows a lot.’”

In Nepal cows are venerated as sacred animals, he said.

“The first thing I needed to figure out was what do I eat; it was hard for me to figure out what to eat.”

After the uneasy first-year, Kalwar’s transition became easier and he started to immerse himself in the culture and society of the university.

Kalwar joined Frog House, Students for Asian-Indian Cultural Awareness, student government association, and Financial Management Association. He later became president of SAICA and treasurer for Habitat for Humanity. After that he started the Cricket Club. Kalwar also works part time for the help desk in the library.

“Getting involved has made my experience here at TCU so much more rewarding,” he said. “I’ve met so many more people.”

Kalwar said that due to the instability of the Nepalese government, there are not many opportunities for students in his home country. As a result, most of his friends from back home, like him, moved abroad upon completing high school.

“A lot of students study accounting and nursing because there are markets for these in Australia,” he said. “They study these even if they don’t want because they can have opportunities.”

Since arriving at the university three years ago, Kalwar has not returned Birgunj or seen his family.

“I have missed them very much,” he said. “But I’m finally going to see them this summer, so I am excited.”