The sun was still shining when Manasi Shahi stepped outside during her first summer in Terre Haute, Indiana.
It was nearly 9 p.m.
Back home in Nepal, the sun sets around 6 p.m. That’s when Shahi realized she was 8,000 miles away from home and everything she knew. She had come to Indiana State University to build a future, and she was ready for the adventure.
But the transition wasn’t easy.
Like many students from Nepal, Shahi had always planned to study abroad for college. A family friend who worked as an international studies agent handed her a list of universities, and one name stood out. Indiana State’s Scott College of Business offered a degree in Supply Chain Management that aligned with her interests.
“I feel like business does well when it comes to exposing you to different industries,” Shahi says. “It gives you a language to talk about things. I just felt like this would be a perfect fit for me.”
Choosing her university was one thing. Adjusting to life in a new country was something else altogether. The first few weeks brought homesickness, unfamiliar food, and the challenge of navigating a completely different culture. A small group of fellow Nepali students helped her through those early days. They hosted weekly dinners that reminded her of Nepal. Those students became her support system.
Still, Shahi knew that if Indiana State was going to feel like home, she needed to step outside her comfort zone and meet other students.
“The reason I actually started being more comfortable here was when I finally started talking to other people, rather than just sticking with people from my own community. I was able to express myself and be myself with new people,” Shahi says.
A student job at the John W. Moore Welcome Center in the Office of Admissions became a turning point. Today, she greets prospective students and their families every day. The role has pushed her to have conversations with strangers, answer questions, and represent Indiana State with confidence.
“I don’t have issues talking to anybody at all anymore,” she says. “The transition wasn’t easy, but it was worth it, because I learned so much.”
The confidence she gained at the Welcome Center followed her into the classroom. A professor helped her discover the career possibilities within supply chain management, a field that explores the movement of products from creation to consumer. The more she learned about logistics, distribution, and operations, the more she saw opportunities to pair problem-solving with business strategy.
“When you’re buying something from somebody, everything that happens in between—the distribution, logistics, shipping, and storage—that’s all supply chain management,” Shahi explains.
Now in her junior year, Shahi has added a minor in insurance and risk management to broaden her options. She hopes to earn an MBA, work in roles such as supply chain analysis or operations management, and eventually launch her own business in the food industry.
What excites her most about business is the flexibility.
“If sales doesn’t work out, you can go to marketing or to finance,” Shahi says. “No matter what your skills are, there’s some field where you can make use of them.”
Professors have encouraged Shahi to attend business conferences, connect with industry professionals, and strengthen her networking skills. Business courses emphasize discussion and collaboration, helping students think critically and prepare for real workplace challenges.
“My professors understand that while your grades matter, it’s also important to expose yourself to people from different industries,” Shahi explains. “That’s what actually prepares you for your career.”
Yet, when asked what has made the biggest difference in her Sycamore experience, Shahi doesn’t mention a specific class or a building. She talks about people and the community she has built on campus.
Through the Scott College of Business, the Asian Student Association, the Charles E. Brown Cultural Center, New Student Programs, and other campus opportunities, she has found friends and support that have transformed her college experience.
“If I hadn’t gotten involved, I think I’d still be sitting in my room all the time. I’d just be going to class and coming back to my dorm,” Shahi says. “Getting involved helped me meet people with different backgrounds and understand how people from completely different places can still end up in the same place – together.”
Today, Shahi helps create that same sense of belonging for others.
As an Orientation Leader and International Student Ambassador, she welcomes new students who are stepping into the same uncertainty she once felt. When she sees students arriving on campus, navigating new surroundings and wondering if they made the right choice, she sees herself.
“They remind me of myself when I first got here,” Shahi says. “I want them to know they made the right choice to come here.”
Shahi’s advice is simple: get involved, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. It’s the same advice that has shaped her own journey.
Three years ago, Shahi arrived in Terre Haute knowing no one. Today, she has built a community, discovered her confidence, and found a place to call home.
And when new international students arrive on campus looking for someone to show them the way, they’re greeted by a Sycamore who understands exactly what that first step feels like.
