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From Bangalore to the World: Why We Do What We Do

There are days when everything feels surreal, like life has taken on this dreamlike quality that’s both exhilarating and disorienting. Traveling around India, especially in Bangalore, amplifies that feeling. The sights and sounds are familiar, but they’re layered with a sense of unfamiliarity, like looking at your childhood through a warped mirror. It’s home, but it’s also not.
Staying at a 5-star hotel just a stone’s throw from the school I attended for six years is a total mindfuck—there’s no other way to put it. The juxtaposition of where I came from and where I am now hits me like a freight train every time. Growing up in a lower-middle-class family, the idea of staying in luxury hotels, traveling the world, and returning here as a “firang” would have been laughable. Not just laughable, but impossible.
Back then, my world was smaller, and the possibilities felt finite. There was no roadmap for a kid from Bangalore to live the kind of life I have now. It wasn’t even something I could dream of because dreams need a reference point, and I didn’t have one. Isn’t that crazy?
But here I am, walking streets that shaped me, breathing in air thick with nostalgia (and pollution), and grappling with the improbability of it all. Every corner holds a memory, every landmark a story, and yet I’m seeing it all through a different lens, shaped by experiences I never imagined having.
It’s funny how life works. Sometimes, it feels like a story woven by a mischievous sutradhara (look it up), pulling the strings from behind the scenes and adding twists and turns just to keep you on your toes. Maybe that’s the beauty of it: the unpredictability, the madness of it all.
As I sit here in traffic, hoping to make it to the airport in time for yet another stop on this crazy journey, I can’t help but wonder: How much of this is chance? How much of it is grit? And how much is sheer madness for believing that something more was possible when everything around me said otherwise?
The truth is, international education made this life possible. It opened doors I didn’t even know existed and gave me the tools to dream beyond the limits of my circumstances. It’s why I’m so passionate about the work I do—and we do—helping others access those same opportunities to transform their lives, just as mine was transformed.
Yet, our path forward as international educators isn’t without its hurdles. We’re living in a time when global politics feels more unpredictable than ever. Close to home, in Trump’s America, divisive and xenophobic policies surrounding immigration and international students are often steeped in uncertainty, creating a ripple effect across the world. The “America First” narrative has, at times, translated into barriers for international students, with visa policies tightening and narratives around inclusivity taking a hit. Students who once looked to the U.S. as the ultimate destination for higher education are questioning their choices, wondering if the promise of opportunity outweighs the perceived hostility.
Geopolitical tensions continue to intensify the challenges we face. The ongoing debate over TikTok and its role in global security, for example, highlights how digital platforms are becoming battlegrounds for influence and control, impacting international collaboration and cultural exchange. Similarly, visa restrictions and policy changes in key destinations like the U.S., Canada, and Australia are shifting the flow of students and creating uncertainty about where the next generation of global talent will thrive. As international educators, we must adapt to these rapidly evolving dynamics, finding innovative ways to make education accessible even as technology, borders, and policies become increasingly intertwined and restrictive.
This is why our work matters more now than ever. International education isn’t just about helping students study abroad; it’s about fostering global citizens who can navigate, adapt, and lead in an increasingly complex world. It’s about breaking down barriers—physical, political, and cultural—and ensuring that students from every corner of the world have the tools to succeed, regardless of the circumstances they’re born into.
Education isn’t just about degrees or prestige. It’s about possibility. It’s about breaking cycles, expanding horizons, and helping students dream, showing them that there’s a whole world out there waiting for them. What we do is more than a profession. It’s destiny-bending work. And every time I think about where I started and where I am now, I’m reminded of just how important this work is.
Our work never stops, does it? The world is changing rapidly, bringing new challenges that threaten to close doors. It’s up to us to find ways to keep them open.
Life has a strange way of coming full circle, doesn’t it? As I reflect on my own journey, I love watching students embark on journeys that take them far from where they started. Many of them will face messy, unpredictable paths filled with detours they never expected. But maybe that’s what makes it worth it: the challenges, the obstacles, and the work they will have to do to overcome them all.
And it’s why what we do matters so much. By creating opportunities for students to dream beyond their circumstances, we’re not just opening doors—we’re helping them build futures that, one day, will come full circle in ways they never imagined.
Ex Cogitatione, Progressus.
Girish
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