I understand that your parents moved to Nepal to be close to you. Have you always been an adventurous family?

It is pretty amazing that my parents are here! In fact, we were pretty typical suburban New Jersey people—I grew up in a nice little town and traveled infrequently. I think I’d only been on an airplane three or four times before coming to Nepal the first time. People often ask if my parents are old hippies from the 60s, which is not the case at all. After I had come back to Nepal the second time, on a Watson Traveling Fellowship, my mother and I established a small business, importing handicrafts made by women’s groups, and drove up and down the East Coast selling them at colleges, including Trinity. This got my mother interested in handicraft production and design. When I was back in Nepal in the mid- 90s, my mother came out to Kathmandu for a few weeks for a friend’s wedding. During that trip, she got a consultancy for handicraft production. By the time she started the job (my dad came out here with her), I had moved back to New York. The job was supposed to be for only six weeks, but it got extended several times, and then led to other similar work. By the time I moved back here in 2002, they had already lived here for six years. Now it has been 12!

What advice can you offer to current Trinity students as they prepare for the future?

Don’t be afraid to take risks and explore new places. I worry that college-age students have been negatively affected by the post-9/11 world, and they see the world as a scary place. I see fewer and fewer young Americans backpacking through here than in the past. I encourage students to realize that the world is still a wonderful place to explore, to not be afraid to see what is out there.

I also encourage Trinity students to remember that with great privilege comes responsibility. A Trinity education is a precious opportunity—a real privilege—and there is no better way to acknowledge that than by pursuing a career that gives back. This doesn’t mean all Trinity grads have to pursue a humanitarian job in a place like Nepal. I certainly see how the private sector makes hugely important contributions to society, home in the U.S. as well as here in Nepal. But I think it is important that Trinity students see themselves as positive change agents— that they look for, and seize, opportunities to make the world a better place.

I also think it is important for students not to feel they have to know their career choice by graduation day. In fact, I would counsel against it! My career path seems somewhat linear in retrospect, but in fact on graduation day I had little idea of what I wanted to do—except that I would not go to law school under any circumstances (and then ended up doing just that two years later!). There are no mistakes, and everything you do will prepare you for what you do next!

Finally, a special note to women students. While the whole work/family balance issue may seem some distance away now, I imagine many will find themselves struggling with this in the not-too-distant future. I think still, sadly, society often presents this as an either/ or choice for women. I want to encourage women students not to see it that way as they move forward in their careers. I have three children under the age of six and a fascinating and fulfilling job. It is not always easy, but it is wonderful and do-able. The important thing for current students is to seize opportunities and recognize that the options are almost limitless for a Trinity grad.