From Middle East to Midwest, aviation management student thrives through new opportunities

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—She may be 7,000 miles from her family in Bahrain, but Varsha Sundareswaran says Western Michigan University feels like home. 

"The thing about Western is that everyone is friendly here. When I first came in, orientation with the Haenicke Institute was enough to tell me how inclusive Western is," she says. "I never felt like I was in a foreign country here; it's so welcoming. You're not going to find the experience you find at Western at any other college."

Western is where Sundareswaran learned about snow, American football and Meijer, and it's also where she grew into a confident leader and manager. And with a freshly minted aviation management and operations degree and a maintenance record internship at Duncan Aviation already lined up, she's ready for her career to take flight.

"Western has one of the best aviation programs in the country. There are a lot of pathway programs where you can meet with different airlines and airports and talk about your experiences," she says. "As soon as you graduate, you can get an internship or a full-time job because Western has that impact; it has connections with so many airlines and different companies."

The aviation management and operations major allowed Sundareswaran to build a broad base of knowledge about the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the industry running and planes in the air. While she hones her technical skills with Duncan Aviation this summer, her next goal is to start working on flight hours to eventually become a pilot as well.

"When I started my flight training, I didn't know how the experience would be. But when I was inside the plane and took my first flight ever, the experience was magical," she says.

FINDING COMMUNITY

While she's serious about her studies—Sundareswaran is a regular on the Dean's List and is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta honor society—it's the experiences she has immersed herself in that have made her college experience one for the books. And it started from day one.

"When I first came to Western, the Indian Student Association was the organization that approached me. And they were the ones who made me feel like, 'You're in a new country, but It's okay; you have us here.'"

Sundareswaran joined the organization and enjoyed connecting with other international students as well as diving deeper into her Indian heritage. She eventually became president, leading the group in planning celebrations around cultural events like Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, and Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, as well as dancing in the annual International Festival, where the Indian Student Association became a crowd favorite each year.

"This is our opportunity to bring our culture to students as well as to celebrate it ourselves," she says.

Sundareswaren also became an active member of the International Student Council as director of programs, making sure international students had opportunities to engage with campus activities and resources.

"I really wanted to work on outreach and help more students like me," she says. 

Her influence extends beyond the international student population. Sundareswaran took on a variety of roles within the University throughout her time on campus, expanding her leadership capacity and racking up resume-worthy experiences. From working as a supervisor in dining services and student employee with the WMU Alumni Association to working as a learning assistant and peer mentor in Student Success Services and a student ambassador in admissions, you'd be hard pressed to find a corner of campus she hasn't impacted or showed off to a prospective student.

She also loved showing incoming students the ropes as a Fall Welcome ambassador and international student orientation leader—feeding off the energy of the budding Bronco excitement. And speaking of excitement, her favorite title on campus by far was Lawson Lunatic, proudly cheering on the hockey Broncos alongside one of the rowdiest student sections in college hockey.

"Nothing can beat that student section!" she says. 

Now, as she prepares to graduate on Saturday, April 27, she's realizing how truly transformative her decision to travel thousands of miles to attend Western Michigan University really was.

"Western was a great school for me. It shaped my future," says Sundareswaran. "Because of the people around me and the experiences I've had and everything that I've been a part of, I know that I can be confident in my life and do things on my own."

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