To my District 6250 Rotary sponsors,
It's that time again when I get to catch you up on what's been happening in my world. I hope this letter finds you well.
Isha with her Rotary host family in Beloit From left to right Alice, Kris and Nick Dimassis. Nick is a member of the Beloit Rotary Club and the Director of the Beloit Public Library
Last time, I shared that I wasn’t getting along with my roommates. Unfortunately, things didn't improve, and I found myself in a tough spot trying to find someone to sublease my room in the middle of the semester. The local Rotary Club in Platteville tried to help by finding me a host family, but they were unsuccessful. I remembered an older couple I had met at one of the International Night dinners hosted by the International Club at Platteville. I asked if they could host me, and fortunately, they agreed, adding another family to my list. One day, my list of host families is going to be in double digits. I stayed with them while still paying rent in the place I had signed a lease for. This taught me a very important lesson that never to rush anything and maybe don’t sign a lease without knowing who the people are that you will be living with.
I mentioned last time that Scott and I had gotten back together. Well, that didn’t go well, and we've ended it for good now.
Back home, things are stable with my mom and brother. My brother is still figuring out his plans for college, while my mom continues her work with the Nepal government. Unfortunately, my dad's health has been challenging. He had symptoms similar to a brain stroke and ended up in the hospital twice. He passed out multiple times in a day. Doctors couldn't find anything wrong, especially because his heart and brain were normal. Since doctors couldn’t pinpoint what caused him to pass out multiple times, they've put him on epilepsy medication. He also had surgery for a prolapsed nerve.
Well, let's move past what did not go well. Academically, this past semester was quite rigorous, but I still maintained grades good enough to make the Dean's List. I took 5 classes all worth 3 credits: database design and implementation, data ethics, data science capstone, complex variable and abstract algebra. I would say this past semester was the busiest semester I have had as of now. In my data science capstone class, we analyzed weather forecasting models made for Washington state. It was interesting but also took a long time to complete. Complex variable probably was the hardest math class I have ever taken. On top of all the academic work, I was also working 3 on campus jobs, each week in total I was working around 15ish hours. Balancing my academics with a part-time job on campus became essential, especially since my savings from summer internships started running low.
Beyond classes, I stayed heavily involved with the International Club, where I've been serving as Vice President for the past two years. I am finally going to take a break from serving in the -board for my senior year so that I have more time to apply for jobs and enjoy my senior year. I was also the speaker for the International Women’s Day celebration at UW-Platteville. It was an awesome experience to be a speaker alongside some incredible women.
Last time I wrote, I was unsure about my summer plans because I hadn't secured an internship yet and was worried about finding a job. I eventually ended up having 3 internship offers: one in Europe with a bank, one with an electrical contractor company in Appleton and another with an electrical contractor company in Beloit. It was a tough decision to decide which one to take. I ended up choosing the one in Beloit even though the one in Appleton was more related to my major and paid me more. I chose the one in Beloit as it would give me a chance to learn something new, I haven’t learnt in classes, and they sounded more hopeful about the possibility of full time employment in future. I work as a software engineering intern for Automation Solutions of America in Beloit. I design and do coding for human machine interfaces which are used for automation mostly in manufacturing plants. I am hoping to manage my finances with whatever I earn from my summer internship. In Beloit, I am staying with a host family, adding another host family to the list of host families. I guess reaching double digits for the number of families that have hosted me won’t be that tough. My host dad is a local Rotarian here in Beloit.
Looking ahead to my senior year, I'm considering taking 13-16 credits. I will continue to work on all three of my on-campus jobs. One of my jobs is Student Assistant for the Women in STEM program at UW Platteville, I have been promoted to lead student assistant for the upcoming academic year. I am really looking forward to being the lead and enhancing my leadership skills.
After graduation, I hope to find a job to gain some industry experience before deciding on a graduate degree. I have a few interests and majors to explore further before committing to further education. While I'm a bit concerned about the job market for tech roles, especially with visa considerations, I'm staying optimistic. I will keep applying to as many jobs as I can.
In just a year, I'll be a college graduate—something I wouldn't have been able to achieve without your incredible support. Throughout my time in college, I've gained not only academic knowledge but also invaluable life lessons that I will carry with me into the future. Thank you all so much. I'm excited to see what the future holds.
Please feel free to reach out anytime.
Best,
Isha Paudel
563-239-8258