All it took was a small group of USF alumni from New Delhi and the neighboring city of Gurugram to warm up the first real winter day in India鈥檚 capital 鈥擠ecember 7th. At a dinner hosted by 1989 alumni Rahul Krishna and his wife鈥攕itting High Court judge Neena Bansal Krishna鈥攁t their elegant residence, conversation and laughter flowed from the get-go, even though most had never met before.
It was an eclectic group鈥攖hree medical doctors, a pioneering HR expert, a legal eagle, an environmental journalist, a data analytics professional, and a highly awarded educator visiting from Andhra Pradesh. The group鈥檚 graduation years spanned between 1989 to 2019.
It was an eclectic group鈥攖hree medical doctors, a pioneering HR expert, a legal eagle, an environmental journalist, Data analytics professional, and a highly awarded educator visiting from Andhra Pradesh.
There was also one couple - cardiologist Dr. Sameer Gupta and neurologist Dr. Sonia Gupta, who met as undergraduate students in New York, got married and then attended and graduated from USF. They now direct the Metro Group of Hospitals and are co-founders of Aurum Senior and Assisted Living. The third medical professional in the group was Dr. Sunil Saksena Raj, a pediatrician who devoted his life to public health. As a professor and consultant with the Public Health Foundation of India, his focus has been on maternal and child health and developing technologies for primary healthcare.
As Samir and Sunil talked shop and discussed opportunities to collaborate on public
health, Sreekanth Koganti pitched in about introducing health awareness in his schools
in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Founder of two high schools in Guntur
and winner of several awards for his contribution to education, Sreekanth was in Delhi
as an invited speaker at the Britannica Education Global Indian Confluence 2024 and
extended his stay to attend the alumni dinner. Sreekanth explained to the group how
he he pivoted from engineering to education post-graduation following his return to
India in 2002 when he started running the Kennedy School which was founded by his
parents in 1981 and named after the American president who his mother greatly admired.
He has opened two more schools, and has become a primary voice for education reforms
in the state. 鈥�
Pradnya Parasher and Himanshu Nitnaware, both hailing from the West Indian state of
Maharashtra, chatted in Marathi. Pradnya is one of India鈥檚 most respected HR professionals,
an author, executive coach and founder of Three Fish Consulting. She has retained
her connection with her department 鈥� she did her PhD in Industrial-Organizational
Psychology from the Department of Psychology.鈥€疕imanshu is a writer with Down to Earth
magazine and is passionate about the environment. He also was a journalist on the
crime beat and has taught young journalists.鈥€�
Meanwhile, Sonia and Nidhi Parasher exchanged their USF experiences. While Sonia specialized
in Headache Medicine, Nidhi graduated in one of USF鈥檚 most popular courses, Business
Analytics and Information Systems (now called Artificial Intelligence and Business
Analytics). As a senior digital analyst with DataVinci Analytics, Nidhi guides data-driven
decision making by analysing digital performances, developing measurement strategies
and identifying business trends.鈥€€�
Host Rahul鈥攁part from making sure everyone鈥檚 glasses and plates were full鈥攔egaled his guests with stories from his days as the legal counsel for the Indian office of a Swedish telecommunications company, his parental experiences, and the joy of living a stone鈥檚 throw from his favourite haunt: Delhi鈥檚 iconic 18-hole Golf Club. Rahul was pleasantly surprised that he was already connected through mutual friends to half of the evening鈥檚 guests!鈥€�
Next, it was time for the special guests to join via video call from Tampa, Florida: Dr. Kiki Caruson, USF World Vice President, and Vanessa Martinez, Assistant Director of International Community Relations. Kiki expressed her gratitude to Rahul and Neena for their warm hospitality. During the alumni introductions, she had a brief but meaningful catch-up with Sreekanth, whose Next Gen School in Guntur had hosted her for a wonderful visit in October 2023.
Kiki highlighted the pivotal role alumni have played in USF's success, particularly in helping the university maintain its position as the institution attracting the largest number of international and Indian students in Florida.
Kiki highlighted the pivotal role alumni have played in USF's success, particularly in helping the university maintain its position as the institution attracting the largest number of international and Indian students in Florida. She encouraged the alumni to consider ways to stay engaged with their departments, prompting Sameer and Sonia to immediately offer internships at their hospitals for USF Health students.
Kiki and Vanessa also discussed the "Stampede of Service Day," where alumni unite for community service. Himanshu shared that he鈥檚 already considering an environmental initiative to bring alumni together. Kiki was thrilled by the lively discussions, like Pradnya inquiring about updates on the STEM status of her Organizational Psychology program, and the easy camaraderie among everyone.
Following virtual goodbyes from Kiki and Vanessa, the conversation veered to favourite
spots on USF鈥檚 campus, beach outings and finding Indian food in Tampa. The conversation
set the stage for guests to move to Rahul鈥檚 dinner table for a delicious spread.鈥�
The dessert included a Go Bulls chocolate cake and the evening wrapped up after alums
received their USF gift bag filled with merchandise and plenty of space for the happy
memories made that evening.鈥�