Anjali Patel is an Aggie full of drive, sarcasm and a passion for her culture. Between studying into the late hours, playing basketball and leading her sector of the Indian Students Association as Logistics Director, she is definitely committed to making a difference and uniting the Indian community here at Texas A&M.
Anjali is a Biomedical Sciences major from Bastrop, Texas. She is currently pursuing Chiropractic medicine with the dreams of starting her own practice one day. Check it out!
Her Campus TAMU: What has been your motivation throughout your two years at A&M?
Anjali Patel: My passion. Every time the thought of giving up comes to mind, I take a minute and remind myself why I’m here in the first place. I came to A&M to work hard, to pave my way to Chiropractic school and to make my parents proud. My parents came to this country and worked hard so that my brother and I could be anything we wanted. So, my main motivation throughout my years here so far, is making them proud, and making their hard work worth it.
HC TAMU: What is ISA, and why did you choose to get involved?
Patel: ISA stands for Indian Student Association, and is an on-campus organization that brings together the Indian community by hosting events and volunteering through community throughout the year, one particularly popular one called Sangam! I chose to get involved because it helps me keep intact with my roots and brings me closer to Indians in the area, which is always a good thing!
HC TAMU: Tell us more about ISA’s highly anticipated annual competition, Sangam.
Patel: Sangam is a South Asian Talent show that ISA puts on every year. This talent show displays teams from all over the state, and this year all over the country! The teams that perform are raas, bhangra, fusion, and some special performers as well! This year is our first year being a national comp, and a tier- competition, which means that one team will win in each dance style. Another interesting thing is that Sangam this year is Harry Potter themed! I would give you more details about that but I’ve only seen the first Harry Potter. This super hype competition is on April 1st this year (no joke), so come out and enjoy! We also have an amazing guest performer that we have not yet revealed, follow us on our social media (@tamuisa) to find out who it is soon! We really do hope to see you there, we had an attendance of 600+ people last year!
HC TAMU: What does it mean to you to be able to connect with people culturally here at A&M?
Patel: It means that among the 50-60,000 students that attend this University, there are people who also go here that were raised with the same values and ideologies as me. It means a lot to run into people and be able to relate with them and create connections that last a lifetime. It can be hard being a minority on campus, and it’s important to seek surroundings that help you feel comfortable and at home.
HC TAMU: How has ISA affected your experience here at A&M?
Patel: ISA has affected my experience at A&M in an amazing way. I joined freshman year and met some of my best friends. I was a co-director my freshman year, which means that I helped out a lot in putting together our annual South Asian Talent Show, Sangam! ISA opened up an outlet for me, where I can excel somewhere besides school, and meet great people along the way. I was really involved in the Indian community in the greater Austin area, and after graduation I was really looking for that same community to be involved in, and ISA proved to be that for me. ISA has positively affected my experience, it was instrumental in getting me through my freshman year. It taught me to appreciate diversity and culture on our campus! A lot of people struggle in their first couple of semesters because of feeling homesick and out of place. Finding the friends I found through ISA helped me feel closer to home.
HC TAMU: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Patel: Career wise, I see myself as a chiropractor getting ready to open my first clinic! In my personal life, I see myself living in Houston, TX. I’ll hopefully be married to someone that I can have one on one basketball tournaments with. I see myself traveling all over the world, and getting ready to buy a house and settle down. After all, that’s always been my dream. Becoming a doctor, getting married, living in Texas, and having a comfortable income. Having kids is always part of the plan too, a boy & a girl preferably. Honestly, in 10 years I don’t have a single clue of where I’ll be, you never know where life will take you, and that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned thus far in college. But, everything I said before is where I dream of being in 10 years, and hopefully I’m working hard enough right now to see those dreams come true.