It is 7 a.m. and, while most 19-year-olds are fast asleep, after just four hours of rest, Soumya Nimmu is eager to start her day.
“There are so many things to do but not enough time in the day to do them,” she said as she made her way to TA her Questrom SM 131 class.
Born in the Bay Area, Nimmu grew up in a melting pot of contrasting cultures in Hyderabad and Bangalore in South India, moving back to the Silicon Valley during her high school years. She was brought up in a close-knit family with her parents and older brother, whom she calls “the light of my life.” In spite of moving schools and cities almost a dozen times, the one thing that has stayed with Nimmu all along is her zest and hunger for a busy, fast-paced life. In fact, according to best friend Skyler Guaaun, “she was born for it.”
It is now 10 a.m. and time for her first class of the day, a Core Curriculum class at Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences, where the sophomore was accepted to pursue a dual degree in Business and International Relations on the pre-law track.
“I was at a crossroads because I found myself deeply fascinated by all three, but fortunately for me, this great education system allowed me to keep all these doors open,” said Nimmu.
As if being thrown into a sea of unknown people, being away from family, and living alone across the country wasn’t challenging enough, since her first year at BU, Nimmu has immersed herself in her college experience.
“Well, if I’m paying for it, I may as well milk it, right?”
Her friends often catch her running around campus from her classes to meetings, meetings, and more meetings. “I barely have time to pee,” she exclaimed.
In true fashion of living the “American dream,” within a year of uprooting her life across the country, Nimmu has become heavily involved in on-campus organizations that work for social change, such as HeforShe, Student Government, and — true to her International Relations major — the Boston Model United Nations circuit.
It is now 4 p.m. and, in spite of a draining, full day of teaching and attending classes, Nimmu continues to power through with her favorite pick-me-up: some “much-needed” music therapy in the Myles music room — “it’s the only thing that keeps me sane.”
In fact, one thing that was an absolute “no-brainer” for her was joining Suno, Boston University’s premiere South Asian Acapella team – a group of people she now calls her parivaar (which literally translates to “family.”)
It’s now 9:05 p.m., five minutes past the start of practice time, and Nimmu is racing to make it. “Well, it’s not me if I’m not at least five minutes late,” she admits with a slight giggle.
“She’s a people’s person and I know that she’s going to make such a big difference someday,” said Guaaun.
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