World@VCU: Amala Kavumkandathil Sreekumar from India – VCU News

By Amelia Heymann

World@VCU is a VCU News feature, in partnership with the Global Education Officethat highlights students from around the world who enrich the Virginia Commonwealth University community. Amala Kavumkandathil Sreekumar is pursuing her Ph.D. in integrative life scienceswith a concentration in behavioral and statistical genetics, through VCU’s Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics.

What should we know about your home country?

India cannot be defined in one word, and no two Indians that you meet are or will be the same. It’s the definition of the word diversity.

There is bad stuff and good stuff, but India, for me, is a warm feeling. The good stuff makes me feel happy. It’s like a blanket of love, care, culture and marvelous nature. Like if you go to the south, you get to experience backwaters and oceans; to the northeast, there are green, luscious forests; towards the north, there are mountains and snow; and to the west, there are dunes and salt deserts.

I was working with the Global Education Office, and last year, we had a presentation for kids at a library. So many people were shocked when I told them that when we go from one state to another in India, it feels like we are going from one country to another. We have different languages, different food – even the weddings are different.

I understand that the majority of people’s impression of India comes from certain things that we see in the mainstream media, or if you go to any Indian restaurant that is here, you’ll see most of the cuisine is from a specific part. I feel like that image is not complete. To understand India, you need to visit India. You might not be able to get a full picture yet. Trust me, I have lived there 26 years, and I still haven’t seen the whole country, but I would definitely say, for good and bad, India is worth traveling to. It should be on everyone’s bucket list.

What inspired you to study at VCU?

Three years back I was looking for a Ph.D. program that matched my interests. After going through around 500 universities all around the world. I shortlisted some, and VCU was one of them. The Virginia Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, where I am working now, has a unique approach to answering human behaviors through a genetic and statistical lens. I liked that.

I used to work with model organisms, and I wanted to transition into the quantitative and statistical methodologies, and the program was the right fit. VIPBG has some top-class scientists who have dedicated their lives to studying the etiology of substance use and major psychiatric disorders. I find myself incredibly lucky to be able to work with them and learn from them.

Tell us about a favorite memory or experience so far here in America.

I would say fall and snow. Those are two things I never got to experience in Kerala. I made a small snowman and had my own Christmas party in December. I took my first road trip to West Virginia in fall and saw the fall colors and had my first Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her friends. Those were my true American experiences, and they are very special to me.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Honestly, I like to take care of my house. Weekends are my cleaning days. Then I like to walk around the Fan, relax and do some artwork. Connect with my family and friends. Edit pictures. We have a small group of friends here, so we’ll meet at someone’s house and have game night or something.

I am also part of the International Student Support Advisory Board, the Graduate Student Association and the Global Intercultural Association. So I go to a lot of GEO events and attend meetings with these student groups. I am always thinking about new ideas to make the transitions easy for the new international students.

Give us a glimpse into your future.

I’ll be very honest – it seems very foggy right now. I have no idea. All my life I wanted to be a researcher, and that was the plan I had. I had to get a Ph.D.; I had to be a postdoc. But VCU has shown me that I shouldn’t have to restrict myself to one role. Here I could explore my advocacy side and artistic side, along with being a researcher.

Right now, I feel like I’m at a junction. Should I continue in academics, or should I go do something beyond that? After all my experiences with advocacy, I also feel like maybe I am good at that. I care about people. So maybe in the far future, I see myself in a government sector or somewhere in the university administration. But all I know is that I cannot think of a day where I don’t learn anything new.

Any advice for international students just starting their journeys?

Be fearless. One thing that I’ve learned is you have to take care of yourself.

Also, if you’re going through something, just reach out. I know it might look like you are drowning, but there are people who are ready to help out there. The faster you find them, the easier things will be for you. For that, you need to actually come out of your shell and talk about your experiences. Never be afraid to ask for help. That is something that has helped me on multiple occasions. If you feel like you don’t know which direction to go, approach GEO or the International Student Support Advisory Board. We will do our best to help you.