Shrochis Karki

Karki__shrochis

“Although I have been blessed with the guidance of many exceptional teachers, I have been most influenced by my teachers at home, my parents. From an early age, they taught me the values of respect, selflessness, consideration, hardwork, perseverance, good will, sacrifice and empathy.”

  • Program: 2009 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Oxford, Oxford
  • Hometown: Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal
  • Age: 24

Biography

PROFILE: Shrochis Karki is a native of Nepal who came to the United States in 2005 to attend Kenyon College in Ohio. After a stellar academic performance there, Shrochis is bound for England and the University of Oxford, which he attended as a visiting student in 2007. The college experience was a constructive one for Shrochis, who enjoyed his time in Central Ohio. “I left my family, most of my friends and my culture behind to become a part of Kenyon,” he said. “My heart settled in rural Ohio and Kenyon was home to me the day I got there.” After his semester abroad at Oxford, he returned for his final year at Kenyon and was elected Student Council President, a position no other international student had held before in the history of the 185-year-old institution. As he embarks on the next stage of his life in Europe with the help of the Foundation, Shrochis is ever mindful of the love and support of his family back in Nepal “who have supported me unconditionally while also pushing me to reach new heights.”

INSPIRATION: Shrochis owes everything he is and will be to his parents. “My autobiography could neither begin nor end without special reference to my parents. They mixed their blood and sweat together to afford my schooling. Although they had not had the opportunity to pursue higher education, they did not want to deny me those opportunities.” 

ASPIRATION: As a visiting student at Oxford, Shrochis was attracted to the university’s program in development, particularly as it relates to Nepal. He also had the good fortune to meet famed anthropologist David Gellner, much of whose work involves democracy in Shrochis’s native land. He’ll be pursuing a degree in Development Studies with the goal of working for an international organization or with the government of Nepal to advance the goals of poverty alleviation and institutional growth in that nation.  

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: As Kenyon’s student body president, Shrochis led several initiatives to improve communication, health services, gender relations, and qualitative diversity among other areas of campus life. He also had the opportunity to interact with and present to the Board of Trustees and was invited to serve on the search committee to hire the new Dean of Students.
 
ACCOLADES: Shrochis has been inducted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received Highest Honors in International Studies for his thesis: "The Future of Nepal: Civil Society Organizations, Millennium Development Goals, and Development Strategies". In addition, he was a leader of the Model United Nations program.

INTERESTING FACT: In 2005, prior to coming to America, Shrochis trekked with four friends to the south base camp of Mt. Everest (17,600 feet). It took nine days to get to and from the base camp. “The trek was exhausting but the view was breathtaking.”

Other Scholars Like Shrochis

Kim__joan-picture_thumb
  •  

Joan Kim
College Scholar
Cornell University

Courey3_thumb

Marissa Courey
Graduate Scholar
London School of Economics and Political Science

Profile_photo_thumb

Maria Mahoney
Graduate Scholar
National University of Ireland

Akito_picture_thumb

Aki Terasaki
College Scholar
Columbia University