Hi! My name is Ramu Bhandari, 31 years old now. I was born and raised in Nepal, in a place where dreams often had to compete with reality.
Growing up, things weren’t always easy. Electricity cuts were normal. Sometimes I would sit and wait for the light to come back just so I could study. In school, I also went through a difficult phase with my health that affected me mentally. But somehow, I kept going. When I got 82% in my SEE—and it became the first distinction in my school’s 60-year history—it felt like a small victory, but a very meaningful one.
After that, I had to leave my family for further studies. Living alone, cooking for myself, managing expenses, and studying at the same time—it wasn’t easy. But that phase taught me discipline and responsibility in a way nothing else could.
During my Master’s, life hit me again. I lost my father to COVID-19. That was one of the hardest moments of my life. There was a lot of uncertainty, pressure, and emotional weight. But I knew I had to continue. I completed my degree with a 3.75 GPA in 2022, carrying both grief and determination together.
Then came a big step—moving to the United States for my PhD in 2023 August. A new country, a new system, new challenges. Everything felt unfamiliar at first. But slowly, I started finding my place.
Today, I’m a PhD candidate in physics. I’ve worked in labs, taught hundreds of students, explored machine learning, and studied things I once only dreamed about—like black holes and the nature of light.
But beyond all of that, I still remember where I started.
From waiting for electricity to come back…
to working in advanced research labs…
It’s been a long journey.
And I know this is just the beginning.