In this week's Where in the World is Miami Wednesday, we meet Aayush Gadal, a sophomore international student from Nepal. He's majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Physics.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Summing up in two words of what I love the most in my life are cars and stars. I have been a huge fan of these two guys since as far as I can remember. They, in fact, reflect the majors I pursue here at Miami: Mechanical Engineering and Physics. Basically, I am a huge science enthusiast. If you ever join me at the dining hall while I am eating alone, you can bet I will send you to your next class curious about black holes and quantum spins.

I am a bit of a social guy. I hang out with a lot of different people from different corners of the world. We go to class together, eat tasty meals on campus, and jam songs on Fridays...which leads to my other interest: music. I love the rock and roll genre. I usually listen to a lot of heavy metal from bands like Metallica. All in all, I am a mess of interest and passion. This is Aayush Gadal from Nepal, Miami OH '23.

How did you get to know about Miami University and what made you choose it?

I learned about Miami from my guidance counselor. In addition to the academics, I loved the clubs that were here: Red Hawk Racing, AIAA, and Astronomy Club. The first club designs custom off-road racing cars; the second flies rockets and makes airplanes; and the third goes stargazing. I also adored the setting of the campus. It is in a suburban area with low light pollution, and you can fly rockets in many open fields. 

What has been your most memorable experience at Miami University so far?

The most memorable experience is undoubtedly hanging out with different people here. Everyone is friendly and are willing to talk about different interesting topics. In addition to that, they are artistically, athletically and academically talented. Hanging out with them has given me different perspectives and has also pushed me to be a better version of myself. In addition to that, I have also found that the people here in Oxford are very warm and welcoming to the students. These relationships will forever be a memorable experience for me.

What has been the biggest difference between your home country and the U.S.?

The first thing that pops into my mind is how helpful and generous people are here to everyone. They are willing to help you with your assignments, your room decorations, and so on. In addition to that, here in the U.S., you can express yourself without worrying about who might judge you. With these special differences, I have been very fortunate to be here and gain a completely new experience.

What has been the biggest similarity between your home country and the U.S.?

I think the biggest similarity is the feeling of hospitality to foreigners. You can talk to any domestic student or the residents of Uptown, and they are happy and excited to accept you. They are always willing to work with you, to learn about your culture, your country’s famous places and so on. They want to embrace you into the community. That is the biggest similarity I found here in Miami.

What organizations are you involved with on campus, and why?

For the first semester, I have kept my focus into more of a STEM-related organization. I am involved in the Red-Hawk racing club, AIAA club, Miami Odyssey and the astronomy club. I chose to join these clubs because they reflected my interest in both career and passion.

AIAA is the club which is related to aerospace and astronautics. In this club, I am focusing on rockets, which was my major project in high school. I joined AIAA to gain experience for my career aspiration.

I joined Red-Hawk racing club because I am highly passionate about dirt cars and interestingly, they build them and take them to race. Moreover, I joined the astronomy club because it again falls under my career aspiration. Finally, I am part of Miami Odyssey, an organization that creates and publishes content from different perspectives, to improve my writing.

What does Love & Honor mean to you?

For me, it means to project positivity to everyone by respecting their dignity and showing care to work together for a better world.

What do you like to do for fun?

I like to make stuff in the lab, jam guitar with friends, visit Uptown in the evening, go to the Rec Center to work out, read an interesting book, play snooker in the game zone, and the list forever goes on!

What is your favorite place to eat on campus?

Usually I think the Bell Tower is the best place to eat. They have a simple menu, and what they cook is quite professional and well-balanced.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing their education at Miami University?

If you find the right major here, the right labs that you want to work in, the right setting, the right scholarship, Miami is the place for you. Trust me when I say this. I stayed in New York for a week before coming here. While I was there I thought I wanted to go to an urban campus with trains and tall buildings. But once I started to realize how beautiful a semi-urban campus can be, I was amazed. People will be more friendly; the place will be quieter. Plus, I can confidently tell you that that behind every door a new thing will be happening. Someone will be building autopilot drones, someone will be making a transmission box, and so on.

In addition to that, the academics here are rigorous. Not to scare you, but at the end of the day you will come out to be a sharper and a shinier version of yourself. Adding to that, there are tutoring and supplementary sessions for free! If you take advantage of all the opportunities here at campus, you can be what you dream to be. So, I can honestly say that Miami will be a great home for you.

 

Where in the World is Miami Wednesday is a news article series that features Miami students studying abroad/away and international students. Catch us next week as we continue to travel around the world to feature the amazing opportunities that Miami students are taking and the experiences our alumni have had since graduating!

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