Deepti Yadawad is a second year student in Computer Science from Blantyre, Malawi. She is an avid volunteer on campus and is involved with the Indian Student Association, Women in Engineering and Computer Science (WECS), and the International Student Association. She is a SnowJam rep, and is also plays field hockey in her spare time.
In the Indian Student Association, Deepti is the Secretary. Everyone on the team this year is relatively new, and so they are re-forming the club from scratch in the hopes of pursuing at least one event per month to increase student involvement. WECS aims to set up clinics to help students in first year computer science courses, and give them help sessions before each midterm for CSC 110 & 115. In field hockey she plays goalkeeper, and has been playing since grade 4. She has never played on turf before. It’s very different from in Malawi. Most people on the team are new, so it’s all very cohesive.
“I joined the Indian Student Association because I wanted to have more Indian friends. I wanted to see what it’s like to be more involved in that part of my life. I wanted to try it, and I have! For me, I feel like international students don’t get involved, and don’t feel like they are together with this community. I want them to come into new environments and become just as successful as native students. I understand that there are stereotypes about international students, but I want to break that barrier. I went through a culture shock moving here, but I think everyone has the ability to do anything and they have the ability to do what they want; they just need someone to believe in them and I want to contribute to that.”
Deepti is an advocator of making the most out of your University experience, and she believes she is on the right track to achieving that.
“It’s good to have something other than your school work, it’s like a break. We are constantly doing something, and I’m a people person. So for me to feel fulfilled and happy, I need to be helping people and be involved with things on campus. The UVic experience is more enriching when you get involved with these things, and I’m someone who likes to try new things. If you have never known about something, how do you know what you like? You do need fun, and you need to find that balance.”