Student Spotlight: Simren Pokhrel
Simren Pokhrel grew up in the capital city of Nepal. When she was 5 years old her family made the decision to move to America to give her and her brother better educational opportunities.
“My parents were very supportive of me exploring my own passions and doing what makes me happy,” Simren said.
Simren Pokhrel at the Stelos Alliance award ceremony, 2023
When moving to America, her family settled in TexArkana to be with her uncle who lived there. She knew some English but mainly spoke Nepali and Hindi. She had to quickly adjust to the language and culture in America.
“A big influence for my drive is my immigrant background,” Simren said. “Moving to this country I felt I had to work harder to assimilate.”
Since she was little, she was creative yet thrived in math and science. In high school she found herself involved in many clubs and organizations and even graduated as her high schools Valedictorian.
“I had a lot of people tell me who I should be,” Simren said.
When choosing a college and deciding what she wanted to do when she grew up, she found that Texas State offered a strong sense of community and diversity. Many of the people she grew up with had a “small-town” mindset and being in a more diverse town allowed her to expand her worldview and grow as a person. She loved the nature that San Marcos had to offer as well as the fact that Texas State took pride in supporting minority communities.
“At Texas State I was able to thrive,” Simren said.
Now as a student at Texas State University, Simren is majoring in Civil Engineering because it combines her passions of design, creativity, science, and math. She is involved in undergraduate research about building more sustainably, the Society of Women Engineers, the TXST Sirens, Women in Business, HLsamp, Honor’s college, design sprints, and the Stelos Scholars. She is also treasurer for the Society for Space Exploration where they are building and launching a satellite.
“My parents have been very supportive of me and have been a big reason of why I have been able to do so well,” Simren said.
Family is a big part of what drives Simren to continue pursuing her goals. They live seven hours away, but they continue to support her.
Simren in New York City during a Stelos Scholars trip, 2023
After college Simren hopes to travel to further shape her worldview and to grow as a person. She also plans to work as a Civil Engineer to create sustainable and affordable housing for low-income families
“I want to give back to the community and solving problems that matter,” Simren said.
Simren is one of our Stelos Leaders Scholarship recipients this year and continues to show her efforts academically and socially. Congrats, Simren!