Newsletter Summer 2026

Message from USEF-Nepal

On July 4, 1776, members of the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to what would become the United States of America. This year marks the 250th anniversary of that milestone. As part of Freedom 250, a U.S. presidential initiative, Fulbright is organizing or supporting activities around the globe that highlight American culture, innovation, and experience. Our newsletter this month leads with activities conducted by USEF-Nepal to mark the occasion. In addition, we report on the accomplishments of some of our recent Fulbright grantees and review activities of our EducationUSA Advising Center, all which contribute to sustaining and strengthening ties between the people of the United States and Nepal.

Finally, on May 20, USEF-Nepal Board Chair Mike Harker successfully summitted Mount Everest, becoming the first American Foreign Service Officer to scale the world’s highest peak. On behalf of the Board and staff of USEF-Nepal, congratulations Mike!

Board Chair Mike Harker on the summit of Mt. Everest

Freedom 250

On April 1, our EducationUSA Advising Center hosted a masterclass on Cybersecurity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence featuring Dr. Yacob Astatke, Assistant Vice President for International Affairs at Morgan State University, who provided an in-depth overview of the evolving role of artificial intelligence in shaping the global cybersecurity landscape. Drawing on examples from the United States, he highlighted AI as the new frontier of digital defense, emphasizing how traditional perimeter-based security models are increasingly insufficient to protect modern systems, including cloud infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and AI-driven workloads. The interactive session provided 58 students from Southwestern State College with valuable insights into emerging trends and career pathways in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

On May 13, USEF-Nepal and the University of Nepal signed an MOU to jointly organize Learning from the American Higher Education Experience: Perspectives, Challenges, Innovations, and Future Directions, a two-day symposium to be held in Kathmandu on November 3-4. Organized as part of the Freedom 250 initiative, the symposium will convene educators, scholars, and higher education leaders to explore emerging issues and innovations in higher education. American experts on liberal arts education will join Nepali academics and policymakers to share perspectives from the U.S. higher education system, fostering dialogue and strengthening academic ties between Nepal and the United States.

On May 19, Matthew Treasure, Assistant Director of International Admissions at Truman State University, collaborated with the EducationUSA Advising Center on a webinar titled From Major to a Meaningful Career, focusing on how globalization, AI, and shifting industries are transforming traditional career pathways and creating a growing demand for adaptable, lifelong learners in the United States. He emphasized that the value of a liberal arts education is that it helps to develop critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills necessary for success across evolving career fields and future workforce demands. The virtual session brought together 30 student participants.

On June 25, the EducationUSA advising center hosted a virtual information session on Affordable Quality Education: Study at Liberal Arts and Science Colleges in the US, connecting prospective students with admissions representatives from Beloit College, Centre College, Gettysburg College, and Rhodes College. The session highlighted the distinctive strengths of the U.S. higher education system through the liberal arts and sciences model, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, academic flexibility, and close interaction with faculty. Representatives also shared information on admissions, financial aid, campus life, and the wide range of opportunities available to international students.

On June 10–11, the EducationUSA Advising Center hosted a series of Freedom 250 STEM and music outreach sessions featuring Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni Dr. Tatsuya Daniel and Miki Hansen. Held at GEMS School, Rato Bangala School, and the EAC, 228 students took part in the series. Dr. Daniel shared insights into his research in physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, while Ms. Hansen spoke about her work in robotics, accessibility design, music therapy instruments, and energy. The speakers also reflected on their involvement with the Tatsuya Daniel Orchestra, highlighting how STEM and music foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Through their presentations, students gained firsthand perspectives on scientific innovation and interdisciplinary learning in the United States.

On July 2, as part of Freedom 250, USEF-Nepal hosted an interactive Visual Narrative Workshop led by Fulbright alumnus Sandeep Badal, who earned his Master of Fine Arts from Boston University's College of Fine Arts. The workshop introduced participants to the rich tradition of American art and visual storytelling, exploring the works of selected American artists and how they have used art to express themes of freedom, innovation, and civic engagement throughout U.S. history. Drawing on his own artistic practice and experiences studying in the United States, Sandeep demonstrated how visual narratives can communicate ideas, inspire dialogue, and foster cross-cultural understanding. Through guided drawing and painting activities, participants transformed their own experiences and perspectives into original works of art, gaining hands-on experience in visual expression.

On July 3, students at Lalit Kalyan Kendra Basic School explored the themes of friendship, creativity, and cultural exchange through an art competition organized by Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Natalia Lalin as part of Freedom 250. The competition encouraged students to create artwork inspired by the enduring friendship between Nepal and the United States, as well as themes of freedom, identity, and community. Through their drawings and paintings, participants expressed their own perspectives while learning about the role of educational and cultural exchange in strengthening ties between the two countries.

Fulbright

At the conclusion of their Fulbright grants in Nepal, this year’s Student Researchers presented their work to academic, professional, and community audiences at events across the country. Their projects spanned public health, education, environmental science, arts, and digital technology, highlighting both the diversity of Fulbright research and its relevance to local communities.

Amy Szacilo, a Fulbright-Fogarty Fellow, examined strategies for delivering oral healthcare through community-based programs in rural Nepal. Presenting at the 12th Annual National Summit of Health and Population Scientists, she emphasized the need to integrate oral health services into primary care and community settings. Her findings also highlighted the importance of policy support, public investment, and workforce development to strengthen oral healthcare systems in underserved communities.

Anjalee Bhuyan investigated ocular and somatic health symptoms among brick-kiln workers in Nepal. Through presentations at the Dhulikhel Public Health Conference and the NAIHS Research Conference, she shared evidence of significantly higher symptom burdens among workers compared to local populations. Her research identified exposure mitigation measures and improved access to protective equipment as key interventions to protect worker health.

Anooj Bhandari shared the outcomes of his arts-based project, Weaving Rasa with the Elements, which combined ecological observation, experimentation, and collaboration to explore human relationships with the natural world. His public dissemination activities included the Good Energy Artist Residency and Exhibition in Patan, a public reading of his original play We Could See It From the Window, and workshops in theater, restorative justice, and creative practice. Through these projects, he engaged hundreds of artists and community members while building platforms that will continue beyond the conclusion of his grant.

Brenna Privelege, a doctoral candidate at Oregon State University, concluded her research on the role of Ganoderma mushrooms in Nepal. She shared her findings with local scientists and community members at the Center for Environmental and Sustainable Agricultural Research (CESAR) and engaged faculty and students at Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology, fostering dialogue around ongoing mushroom research and its potential applications.

Divya Chauhan explored barriers to educational participation and aspirations among adolescent girls in Rautahat, Doti, and Manang districts. Presenting her findings to Plan International Nepal and YUWA, she highlighted poverty, household responsibilities, gender norms, and early marriage as major obstacles to education. Her research also revealed regional differences in career aspirations, demonstrating how local opportunities and social contexts shape girls’ educational goals and future pathways.

Jack Noble examined smartphone use and digital entertainment in Nepal’s Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Through presentations and discussions with host monastery communities, he explored how monastic communities balance the educational benefits of smartphones with concerns about distraction and digital well-being. His findings highlighted community-driven recommendations, including stronger usage guidelines, digital literacy education, and greater accountability around technology use in monastic settings.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program grantee Dia Yonzon, currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing at San José State University, was recognized with two prestigious awards for her outstanding literary achievements. She received The Rico-Ressman Scholarship for Excellence in Creative Writing and the James Phelan Award for Poetry, honors that celebrate exceptional talent and promise in the field of creative writing.

As part of a Fulbright Specialist Project hosted by the Nepal Organ Donation Foundation (NODF), on April 5-10 Dr. Cinnamon Sullivan led a workshop at Nepal Medicity Hospital in Kathmandu on Brain Death Declaration, Donor Management, and the Organ Donation Process. The workshop brought together 75 healthcare professionals from 20 hospitals across Nepal.

At a public engagement event held on April 10 at Shangrila Blu Hotel, Dr. Sullivan shared experiences and best practices in organ donation and transplantation in the U.S. The workshop, which highlighted successful approaches to donor identification, family engagement, and system development that can help to inform future efforts in Nepal, attracted 82 participants.

During May 26-29, Sr. Program Officer (Fulbright) Nishtha Rajbhandari participated in the NAFSA: Association of International Educators annual conference and exhibition in Orlando, Florida. The conference brought together educators, higher education leaders, and exchange professionals to discuss trends in international education, build partnerships, and advance global learning. It also provided a platform to promote educational opportunities in Nepal and engage with institutions committed to international exchange.

Representing Fulbright Nepal, Nishtha met with Fulbright program advisers from U.S. universities to discuss recruitment and advising efforts for prospective Fulbright participants. She also connected with executive directors and staff from Fulbright Commissions and organizations worldwide, discussing best practices and shared priorities in educational exchange.

Amrit Tamang, Fulbright-National Geographic Explorer, 2025

When I arrived in Nepal as a Fulbright-National Geographic researcher, I naively imagined a year spent trekking through the Himalaya, following the lives of my Indigenous Tamang kin folks from our home village in Nuwakot district to the capital city Kathmandu where they are contracted for labor and along trekking routes where they work and have continued to work as porters and guides for generations. As both a son and a scholar, returning home to better understand the lives of the very people whose labor in tourism made my own migration to the United States possible felt like a full-circle moment.

Yet, as every anthropologist reveals, fieldwork rarely unfolds according to plan.

Only a few months into my grant, my biological mother (ama), who lives in Nepal, suffered an ischemic stroke. The place that I had envisioned as a site of labor research suddenly became intertwined with caregiving responsibilities and the emotional realities of returning home. I found myself moving between interviews with tourism workers and hospital visits, between writing field notes and navigating hospital bills and recovery. While I had initially returned home primarily as a researcher, I found myself re-learning what it means to be present for my ama in ways that years of distance have not allowed. In doing so, it reminded me that the deepest lessons of fieldwork emerge not only through participation and observation but also through care and reciprocity with the people and communities with whom we work.

This work of care ultimately deepened my understanding of mountain tourism labor. Walking these trails, I often reflected on the experiences of my uncles, father, and cousins, whose labor had carried them across these same landscapes before me, albeit from different positions of privilege. Following in their footsteps as an embodied way of knowing revealed that mountains are more than sites of tourism, they became, for me, a living archive of memory, labor, kinship, and grief.

Some places carried emotional weight. This year, I returned to Gosaikunda several times, a sacred lake situated at 4,380 meters in my home region, that has shaped my family's and the broader Tamang community’s ways of knowing and being since time immemorial. My ama traveled there while pregnant with me and later took me there as a child. Returning after her stroke felt profoundly different. The journey became a reflection of memory, care, and the ways landscapes carry both personal and collective histories. In this way, I was not only studying labor and mobility in Nepal’s tourism industry, but also the ways in which the livelihoods of mountain communities are profoundly intertwined with family histories, migration, and livelihood.

Moreover, as part of my fieldwork, I also completed a 35-day Trekking Guide Training course at the Nepal Mountaineering Academy in Kathmandu, gaining insight into how tourism is taught, regulated, and imagined. My continued collaborations with the Center for Tamang Studies, colleagues, and tourism communities further reinforced that research is fundamentally relational. My Fulbright-National Geographic experience has shown me that coming home is never straightforward. It is an ongoing process of learning, caring, and listening. In many ways, the most meaningful insights emerged not despite uncertainty, but because of it.

EducationUSA

In June, our EducationUSA Advising Center expanded its outreach efforts with visits to Birgunj, Dhangadhi, and Mahendranagar, connecting with more than 1,300 students through a series of Study in the U.S. information sessions.

During June 15–17, staff visited six schools in Birgunj: Alpine High School, Birgunj Public College, Global Business College, Gyanda Academy, Himalayan Pyramid Secondary School, and National Infotech, delivering eight presentations that reached 734 students. The sessions introduced students to the Five Steps to U.S. Study and provided guidance on the U.S. higher education system, admissions, scholarships, standardized testing, and campus life.

During June 22–24 in Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar, sessions reached 614 high school and undergraduate students at nine institutions, including: Alliance International High School, Gurukul Academy, Kovida International Academy, Kailali Model Higher Secondary School, National Academy of Science and Technology College, Panchadoya Higher Secondary School, and Sudur Paschimanchal Academy in Dhangadhi, as well as International Public School and Janjyoti Higher Secondary School in Mahendranagar. Students received guidance on undergraduate and graduate admissions, scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and the U.S. college application process, equipping them to make informed decisions about pursuing higher education in the United States.

EducationUSA Nepal is proud to celebrate the achievements of Opportunity Funds alumni who recently graduated from U.S. institutions and are beginning exciting new academic and professional chapters.

Bibhuti Shah, an Opportunity Funds 2022 alumna, graduated summa cum laude from Caldwell University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. A student researcher, peer advisor, and commencement speaker, Bibhuti will pursue a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at The Pennsylvania State University beginning this fall. Reflecting on her journey, she shared, "Pursuing a liberal arts education has helped me grow not only academically but also personally, shaping me into a more confident, compassionate, and well-rounded individual."

Meraj Husen earned a double major in Computer Science and Business Management from Springfield College, along with a minor in the Honors Program. Looking back on his experience, he credits the college's close-knit community and humanistic philosophy for shaping his undergraduate years. He shares: "My four years at Springfield College were truly unforgettable and helped me grow both personally and professionally."

Roman Shrestha graduated from Vassar College with degrees in Economics and Computer Science and will join the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as a pre-doctoral Economics researcher. He attributes much of his success to the Opportunity Funds Program, noting: "Getting accepted into the Opportunity Funds Program was a life-changing moment. It fueled my dream of studying abroad by providing mentorship, financial support, and a community to grow with."

Sushan Poudel, an Opportunity Funds 2022 alumnus, graduated from Fisk University with degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics. During his studies, he published his first IEEE paper and completed an internship with Barclays, where he will begin working full-time as a Software Engineer. Encouraging future students, he writes: "One of the biggest lessons I learned is that not everything has to be perfectly planned out. Growth comes from trusting the journey and staying open to opportunities."

EducationUSA Nepal has selected 16 students for the 2027 EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program following a highly competitive nationwide selection process. The students will receive comprehensive advising and financial support to cover the up-front costs of applying to U.S. colleges and universities for Fall 2027 admission. The program is designed to assist academically qualified students with financial need, helping them to navigate the admissions process to compete for higher education opportunities in the United States.

Articles by and Featuring our Alumni

Opportunities and Events

EducationUSA

Pre-Departure Orientation Session

July 16, 2026 at 9 a.m.

Venue: USEF-Nepal

Friday Group Advising
July 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Venue: USEF-Nepal

Get Inspired: From Nepal to UChicago, CERN, and Beyond- Building a Life of Curiosity and Impact
July 17, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Venue: USEF-Nepal

Tips on Writing an Application Essay
July 20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

Platform: Zoom

Ask an Adviser

July 21, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Platform: Zoom

Scholarship 101 Undergraduate
July 22, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Platform: Zoom

Effective Communication with Admissions Offices
July 23, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Platform: Zoom

Orientation on Standardized Tests – Graduate
July 30, 2026 at 2:30 p.m.
Platform: Zoom

Resume Writing
August 4, 2026 at 11 a.m.
Platform: Zoom

Finding Best Fit
August 5, 2026 at 11 a.m.
Platform: Zoom

Fulbright

Fulbright Specialist Program – Application open for 2026/27 projects
Apply at usefnepal.org

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program – Application Open
Apply at usefnepal.org

Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship – Application Open
Apply at usefnepal.org

Fulbright US Scholars Program – Application Open
Apply at usefnepal.org

Fulbright US Student Program – Application Open
Apply at usefnepal.org

Fulbright – National Archives Heritage Science Fellowship – Application Opening Soon
Apply at usefnepal.org

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