Sujata Bajracharya – Intern

Barnard College 2012, South Asian Studies

What's your favorite whale?
Narwhal (the unicorn of the sea!)

Tell me something you did that you're proud of.
There are things that are a lot more significant than this in the big picture, but yesterday I made shrimp scampi, more or less by myself, and I'm pretty proud of that.

What cause or issue are you passionate about?
Feminism. I know it's a really fraught topic, but for me, feminism is about mutual respect between people and everyone getting to make conscious, informed decisions about how they want to lead their lives. And I think those things make the world a better place.

Who or what motivates you? Where do you get it from?
I really do have an incredible desire to learn, and to be able to understand the connections and interactions between different people and areas from around the world. I think it's a combination of compassion and curiosity that motivates me. I definitely get that from my parents (and the rest of my family), because they've always encouraged to me to learn as much as possible, and to care about and help other people.

If you were a Jedi, which one would you be?
If I were a Jedi, I like to think I would be Obi-Wan Kenobi, the wise, awesome Jedi who handles everything with aplomb and a kind of witty come back ("Only a master of evil, Darth." Who can beat that for dialogue?).