Nebraska empowers Hegde to accomplish goals, build community
May 6, 2021 | by Aaliyah Wells-Samci
From the community she found in ballroom dance, New Student Enrollment, UCARE research and the Center for Civic Engagement, Shridula Hedge has been an active Husker during her time at the university.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Hegde decided to come to Nebraska because of the array of opportunities in both hands-on experience and research in her majors of animal science and biochemistry. At the end of her four years here, Hegde has also grown fond of Nebraska's full four seasons. In fact, she stayed up until 4 AM to watch her very first snow fall with friends during her freshman year.
Other than the physical aspects of Nebraska, Hegde wanted to focus her time her on skills she wanted to improve on. She originally joined the New Student Enrollment team to help with her public speaking skills.
"After doing small skits and speaking in front of freshmen, I felt a relief," she said. "It was scary, but I still did it. My first thought was tomorrow is going to be a little bit easier."
Hegde also believes that her involvements in new student enrollment also impacted the global community at the university by sharing her experiences as an international student to others.
"These students can learn from my mistakes and create their own mistakes," Hegde said when reflecting on her time as an NSE orientation leader. "Also, making them understand that they are not alone in this journey and there are other people who are and were in the same boat."
This has been a challenging year. Yet, we will walk on the graduation day with our heads held high and being proud of ourselves because, despite all the challenges, we still accomplished to get this degree and move one step towards our success.
Hegde encourages other international students who may be interested in coming to UNL to not be scared, even though the change may seem daunting.
"[Nebraska] wants you to succeed," she said. "Hence, if you have any questions never hesitate to ask! The answer will always be a no if you never ask."
As she wraps up her time and her degree in veterinary science, Hegde wants to specifically thank her academic success coach, Colleen Cameron.
"I am so grateful to have her as my mentor as she was there to guide me through this process," she said. "Colleen was always there to cheer me and support me, and I appreciate everything she did for me. I am extremely grateful to have crossed paths with someone like her."
Graduating from Nebraska means moving one step closer to her goals, says Hegde.
"Through this
experience, I have gained so many skills," she said. "My ultimate goal is become a better version of myself every
day. And Nebraska has always helped me accomplish that goal."
After graduation, Hegde plans to pursue a dual degree program in a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Master's of Public Health at The Ohio State University. Her dream job is to be an infectious diseases veterinary epidemiologist.