S2E23: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Alina Khadka of Nepal

In this our twenty-third (23rd) episode of Season 2, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Alina Khadka of Nepal about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Alina!

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Transcript

Evan Franulovich  0:05  
Welcome to Seattle Colleges International Programs and our show 'Conversations with!', where we talk to people that help you understand how you too, can be an international student in the United States and why Seattle Colleges should be your first choice. We'll talk to students and staff and agents and government folks, all kinds of people about what you can expect when you're getting ready to apply or travel here, what you'll experience while you're with us, and how it can all lead to an amazing life. Don't forget to check out the Seattle Colleges International Programs website at intl.seattlecolleges.edu where you can find a treasure trove of information about the school, the programs here and best of all, fill out and submit your application. Again, that's intl.seattlecolleges.edu.

Evan Franulovich  1:08  
Hey, everybody! It's Evan Franulovich. Welcome back to 'Conversations with!' We are here at North Seattle campus, visiting with my very special guest from the country of... 

Alina Khadka  1:21  
Mountains, Lord Buddha, Sita, living goddess, whatever you want to say. And the name is... Nepal! 

Evan Franulovich  1:32  
She's from Nepal.

Alina Khadka  1:34  
Namaste!

Evan Franulovich  1:34  
Our first guest, that's so great. Thanks so much for coming. 

Alina Khadka  1:37  
You're welcome for having me. 

Evan Franulovich  1:39  
Do you want to you want to tell everybody your full name and where exactly in Nepal you're from. 

Alina Khadka  1:45  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  1:46  
And maybe what you're studying here. 

Alina Khadka  1:48  
Right. Thank you. First of all, thank you so much for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I'm so much excited. I have been saying that to you. My name is Alena Khadka. And then I am from Nepal... to be more specific, I am from the smallest city of Nepal, Bhaktapur. 

Evan Franulovich  2:07  
Well, if it's small, that's a big city. Yeah, yeah.

Alina Khadka  2:10  
Yeah, but it is the smallest city in Nepal. 

Evan Franulovich  2:12  
Yeah.

Alina Khadka  2:13  
So yeah, I am from Bhaktapur, Nepal. My name is Alina Khadka, and I'm a new transfer student here in North Seattle College, and I'm enjoying my life here. 

Evan Franulovich  2:23  
And if you haven't been to Bhaktapur, my wife and I went and traveled there. 

Alina Khadka  2:28  
Isn't that amazing?

Evan Franulovich  2:28  
And so we were... I was showing her photos. Definitely, check out Bhaktapur, everybody goes to Kathmandu. You know, but try to go to the east a little bit. 

Alina Khadka  2:37  
It's kind of like a suburb, isn't it? Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  2:39  
Yeah, yeah. It's really not far. You'll take your life in your hands in traffic. I gotta say, I've been in some crazy traffic because I've traveled all over the world. 

Alina Khadka  2:46  
Right? 

Evan Franulovich  2:47  
Nepal and India are two of the craziest. 

Alina Khadka  2:50  
Like, like, ok, just tell me... Where is India and where is Nepal?

Evan Franulovich  2:54  
India was pretty crazy. I don't know. They're both very similar. My roommate, when I lived in China, my roommate was from India. 

Alina Khadka  3:02  
Oh, wow.

Evan Franulovich  3:02  
He says, "Oh, Nepal's, our little brother." He would talk about they consider you guys to be their little brother. 

Alina Khadka  3:07  
Oh, yes. So true. We always say each other. We always treat each other as brothers and sisters. But they're like these days lately because of this government and political things. Like, like, there has been some cold war things going on with India and Nepal. But after like we all are human beings. We have same blood. And we are brothers and sisters. 

Evan Franulovich  3:29  
Well, he always talked fondly of Nepal, so... But I'd say they're so similar. Since you guys are practically related. Traffic was pretty crazy. Go check out Bhaktapur. 

Alina Khadka  3:39  
Please do that.

Evan Franulovich  3:40  
Get a cab and hide your eyes for a few minutes. It'll be great. Yeah, it's really easy to walk around. So cool. Yeah. Well, you are from there. But you know, you came here. So let's talk about your path from Nepal. Just to get here. So you're growing up in Nepal. And one day, you thought to yourself, "Oh, maybe I want to go study overseas." 

Alina Khadka  4:02  
Yes. So I am a single child from my parents. But I do have adopted sister and she's American as she was born here in Bellingham. So yeah, it's kind of complicated. 

Evan Franulovich  4:17  
Born in Bellingham, then lived in Nepal? 

Alina Khadka  4:20  
Well, I would say like she visited Nepal, and then like, I was very young and I met her in person and then like, we got attached. And then like she now after that, like when we got a dad, he came back and forth and visited us and she was in love with this Nepali guy. And then, and then like he asked my parents, so there is like a special ritual that bride's parents has to do. And then like she, asked my parents, our parents to perform that ritual. 

Evan Franulovich  4:52  
That's cool. 

Alina Khadka  4:53  
And that's how she got adopted to our family. 

Evan Franulovich  4:56  
I see. All right. 

Alina Khadka  4:57  
And then ever since that, like she has been my source of inspiration from my childhood. And then I always follow her states I am like a copy of my sister to be honest. So she was from United States and that's why I wanted to be in the United States. I wanted to lead the life that she has lived over here. 

Evan Franulovich  5:18  
Of course. 

Alina Khadka  5:18  
And then also the international degree from the United States is great, like everyone recognize that. And then also another thing I would like to add is like the job satisfaction that I was not getting back in Nepal. 

Evan Franulovich  5:30  
Sure. 

Alina Khadka  5:31  
Because I was a registered nurse. I think I became a registered nurse back in Nepal in 2018. And then I worked there, I even served there in COVID. But the respect and job satisfaction that you were supposed to get that I did not get over there. That's why I decided to be in the United States. 

Evan Franulovich  5:52  
Yeah, before we rolled the camera, we were talking about your experience working COVID in Nepal, as a registered nurse. 

Alina Khadka  5:59  
Oh, my God, it was. It was horrible. I lost my friends. I lost my family. My grandfather... my grandmother from my father's side, she died during that period. But she didn't die from COVID. But like it was in that time. We could not give her like a good goodbye. Or like, you know...

Evan Franulovich  6:22  
Right, because everybody was stuck in their apartments or whatever. 

Alina Khadka  6:25  
Yes. And then, like, the way I had to wrap the dead bodies, it was... I still like I can still like feel everything or like, you know, I can still see everything. So...

Evan Franulovich  6:37  
It's hard for me to imagine because when I stayed in Bhaktapur, it's so lively. I mean, there are just people everywhere walking around. I... It's hard for me to imagine everybody like sequestered or stuck in their apartments.

Alina Khadka  6:51  
That's the thing, right? I mean, just like everywhere in the world, like different people have different personalities, right? And then like some people did tend to obey the rules that government make, just like here. I think in that time, Donald Trump was the president right? And he was not supporting COVID. He was like, "I don't believe in COVID." And just like that, there was some Nepalese who did not believe then. So yeah, it was very hard, like people were not following the rules. They were not following the lockdown process. And that's why it was getting more harder to like, you know, to make to... How do you say it? I don't have the exact word. But government or the state government was having problem to control all the population in that community.

Evan Franulovich  7:35  
Right. 

Alina Khadka  7:35  
And that's how we got more and more positive cases too, because they were not following the protocol. 

Evan Franulovich  7:41  
So, Bhaktapur is a separate state than Katmandu, yeah? Is Kathmandu its own little state, or...? 

Alina Khadka  7:47  
Well, I... we didn't... what these days they do say state, but when I was back in Nepal, we say as a city. So Bhaktapur is one city and Kathmandu is another, and there's Lalitpur. So these three cities are inside the valley. 

Evan Franulovich  8:00  
Oh, Okay. Yeah, yeah. 

Alina Khadka  8:01  
So, we call it city, but you can also say state. 

Evan Franulovich  8:04  
Sure. But it kind of is... you guys have your own like government within that area.

Alina Khadka  8:09  
Oh, I think Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur comes in a Bagmati state, ... province, and they have their own leaders. And then there's like another province or another state, and they have their own government, I guess. Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:25  
Well, it's interesting you were working as a registered nurse. So it sounds like you had already done university level education in Nepal? 

Alina Khadka  8:33  
What I did, associate nursing degree. I would say that, like, if you like, if you if you evalutate your courses from Nepal, it's considered as associate nursing degree. 

Evan Franulovich  8:42  
Gotcha. 

Alina Khadka  8:43  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  8:44  
So what's your major now? 

Alina Khadka  8:46  
My major is nursing again.

Evan Franulovich  8:48  
It is?

Alina Khadka  8:49  
I am doing my bachelor's. But it's kind of complicated, because I was already ... nurse back there. And then when I flew here in the United States, I figured out that I was already and I was already nurse back in Nepal, and I could use my license to be a registered nurse here. 

Evan Franulovich  9:06  
Really? 

Alina Khadka  9:06  
Yeah. Isn't that amazing? 

Evan Franulovich  9:07  
That is amazing.

Alina Khadka  9:08  
I didn't... I didn't know about that, either. 

Evan Franulovich  9:10  
So, what classes are you taking here at North Seattle College? 

Alina Khadka  9:13  
Right now? 

Evan Franulovich  9:14  
Just like prerequisites? 

Alina Khadka  9:16  
No. Well, right now. I am just taking any other basic courses. Like, I'm taking Spanish, mindfulness... So because I already did my prerequisites. I've been in the state for like, almost three years now. Yeah. And back in Iowa Western University, which was my first university in the United States. 

Evan Franulovich  9:39  
Yeah. So let's go back to that. You talked about your sister being an inspiration. She's in Bellingham. But you didn't go to school in Bellingham. You went to school in Iowa? 

Alina Khadka  9:49  
Yes, because I got a good amount of scholarship. I got like, at least 90 to 95% of scholarship. 

Evan Franulovich  9:58  
Wow. 

Alina Khadka  9:59  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  9:59  
So you applied to that school in Iowa from Nepal. 

Alina Khadka  10:03  
Nepal. Yes. And I got accepted. And I did study there for like, two years and unfortunately, our university decided to shut it down. 

Evan Franulovich  10:14  
Just close the doors. 

Alina Khadka  10:15  
Yeah, well, lucky me. I am in Seattle. 

Evan Franulovich  10:18  
Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Alina Khadka  10:19  
And it's beautiful. Then... 

Evan Franulovich  10:21  
So they come in, they tell you "We're shutting the doors." And you were like, "Where am I gonna go?" And you just decided to apply to...

Alina Khadka  10:28  
It was my sister's idea. Like, I have a lot of support family, like family group and support system here. And then my sister was like, "Okay, you're done with the small cities now. You've got to come to the big cities. And that's why I'm here. 

Evan Franulovich  10:40  
So you.... So you applied right away after you found out, you applied to Seattle Colleges?

Alina Khadka  10:47  
Oh, my god, you want to know what happened after that incident? So for a week, I was just crying. What else am I gonna do? Like, I had no idea where to go. Because my university gave us this notice, like, Okay, our university is going to shut down after a month. And now like, our board exam is on ahead. Like our final exam is on ahead. And then like, in the meantime, I was preparing for my nursing license exam for the United States. And that's like a pain. You have to study a lot for that. And then I was so lost.

Evan Franulovich  11:18  
It's the N... NCLEX?

Alina Khadka  11:20  
NCLEX, yes. And then I was like, so lost that time. And then I was just crying. I was not even talking with anyone. I was like, researching all the time in computer, but I didn't even know what I was researching. Well, our university did give us some teach out, like teach out universities. But that was not helpful for me, because we are international students. We need more than that. Because we have to work on our I-20s, we have to find a university who is going to accept all our credits. It's a long process. And then, time limit was very short. And by the grace of God, you know, there is a saying in Nepali, if you do good, you will get good. So by the grace of God, Seattle Colleges, like they were like, just like an angel. They were, giving me their hands, like, Okay, here you go, hold my hand and come to Seattle. Yeah, that's how I felt. 

Evan Franulovich  12:14  
So... how did they do that? You must have applied and then they're helping you through that process. 

Alina Khadka  12:19  
And I got a scholarship here.

Evan Franulovich  12:21  
That's so great.

Alina Khadka  12:22  
It was a full ride scholarship, so,....

Evan Franulovich  12:25  
To North? 

Alina Khadka  12:26  
Yeah. To North Seattle College. 

Evan Franulovich  12:28  
Okay, so let's, so let's be real clear. You are here on an F1 visa? 

Alina Khadka  12:33  
Yes, I am. 

Evan Franulovich  12:35  
So you applied for a scholarship? 

Alina Khadka  12:37  
Yes, I did. 

Evan Franulovich  12:37  
What is the name of that scholarship? 

Alina Khadka  12:39  
So the that I won was Costco scholarship, 2023- 2024. And it was like worth a $4,500. And then like it covered off my one quarter. Like it was like a full ride scholarship. 

Evan Franulovich  12:52  
Can anybody applied for that? 

Alina Khadka  12:53  
Anyone can apply for that. Any F-1...

Evan Franulovich  12:55  
This is not the Foundation Scholarship? 

Alina Khadka  12:57  
It is a Seattle Foundation scholarship. 

Evan Franulovich  13:00  
Okay, it is. 

Alina Khadka  13:00  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  13:01  
Okay. Gotcha. All right.

Alina Khadka  13:02  
Sorry.

Evan Franulovich  13:02  
No, that's okay. I wanted to make sure I knew what you're talking about. 

Alina Khadka  13:05  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  13:05  
Yeah. And this... and that scholarship, I think is available, actually two times a year. 

Alina Khadka  13:10  
A year. Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  13:10  
Fall and Spring?

Alina Khadka  13:11  
Spring. 

Evan Franulovich  13:12  
Nice. 

Alina Khadka  13:13  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  13:15  
So... So you are studying here and then what's your plan? You're working on a bachelor's degree, you said? 

Alina Khadka  13:21  
Okay, here it comes another complication.

Evan Franulovich  13:23  
This is very interesting.

Alina Khadka  13:26  
So right now, I am a registered nurse. But I'm on F1 visa. And then I need to find a hospital so that I can work. And then for that, I need a work permit, right? 

Evan Franulovich  13:38  
Yes. 

Alina Khadka  13:38  
Which is very hard for international student to get. 

Evan Franulovich  13:41  
Right. 

Alina Khadka  13:42  
And then...

Evan Franulovich  13:43  
You can do OPT after you graduate.

Alina Khadka  13:45  
Graduate. But I have not graduated, yet. Because I was a product back from Nepal. 

Evan Franulovich  13:50  
Right.

Alina Khadka  13:51  
And I just did a prerequisites over here. And which was not even necessary for me. 

Evan Franulovich  13:56  
Sure. 

Alina Khadka  13:56  
But I just had to do that because I had to be in F1 status. 

Evan Franulovich  14:00  
Yes, of course. 

Alina Khadka  14:00  
Yes. And then if I had knew that this NCLEX thing that I can do with my license back from Nepal, then I would have done that way before, but I did not. So I was stuck in Iowa for two years. Okay, my eyes opened up and then like, Okay, wow, okay, here's the NCLEX exam you got to do. And then yeah, I did that. And now I'm a registered nurse. And then I'm applying to hospitals. And then some of the hospitals are willing to sponsor me for the green card. And then I can work. 

Evan Franulovich  14:31  
So you will actually... but, as far as education goes, you will actually graduate from Seattle Colleges?

Alina Khadka  14:38  
I cannot graduate from Seattle Colleges.

Evan Franulovich  14:39  
You can't graduate.

Alina Khadka  14:40  
Yeah, because they do not have a Bachelors of Nursing degree here in North Seattle. 

Evan Franulovich  14:44  
No, they don't. That's right. But they do have... Well, we do have a nursing school, but you don't need to go through the nursing school since you already have that. 

Alina Khadka  14:50  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:50  
So, are you here on a short term certificate?

Alina Khadka  14:54  
I... well, right now. To be specific. I do not have any majors right now in the North Seattle. When I was in Iowa, my major was nursing, but here I do not have major. 

Evan Franulovich  15:05  
Sure. So when you applied, you know, usually you check which program we have like the 2+2, high school completion plus, short term certificate... Which program did you check?

Alina Khadka  15:17  
Non-award seeking. 

Evan Franulovich  15:18  
Non award seeking. Okay, that makes sense. Okay, now we're cooking. 

Alina Khadka  15:22  
Yes. And why I am doing this is because I need to maintain my F1 status while the hospital is working on my paperwork.

Evan Franulovich  15:30  
Right? Okay. Yeah, sure. Gotcha. And the likelihood... Well, let's just say they say, "No, we're not going to take you as a nurse." Then what, are you faced with going back to Nepal?

Alina Khadka  15:41  
No, because, like, I think it's so common to hear that there are like lots of demands of nurses here in the United States. 

Evan Franulovich  15:51  
Sure. 

Alina Khadka  15:51  
So like, you just have to wait and grab your opportunity. If it is not in one hospital, there are plenty of hospitals and hospice care are like any all these health care hospitals or homes, you know. So yeah, you can apply in other places. 

Evan Franulovich  16:08  
Gotcha. Well, I get... I personally get asked a lot from... you know, my territories are Latin America and Africa. I get a lot of students asking about nursing. 

Alina Khadka  16:17  
Oh, wow. 

Evan Franulovich  16:17  
So many want to come and become nurses. But it's not always super easy path to do that. 

Alina Khadka  16:23  
It is not. Because I've been through that. So I know that very well. It's, it's very complicated. And then if you don't have someone to guide you to the pathway, it's going to be very hard. And I failed that. My sister she was here, she, she what she is an American, but she is not from my major, like she is not a nursing major. So she did not have any ideas like what I'm supposed to do. She was trying her best to help me. But like, I did not have a good support. So I had to figure out everything on my own. 

Evan Franulovich  16:55  
So here at North Seattle College, you get the support you need from the international program staff, do they help advise you? What do they do? 

Alina Khadka  17:04  
Well, our advisor is pretty good over here too. Like he gives you... I'm not gonna say he spoon feeds you, because we will not want to do that, we are adults, right? We are in the college right now. But he guides you, like he will tell you "Okay, here are your options. You can do this, this, this, this this, but you you are the one you are the person to choose specific thing that you want to do." So he's I think he's a good counselor or advisor, I would say. 

Evan Franulovich  17:30  
Right. Yeah, yeah Shun is great. Yeah, I assume that's who you're talking about. Yeah, yeah. So that's really good. Because... Because your path is a little different than most maybe listeners, you know, that are looking more at a 2+2, where they start at the community college, they do their two years, then they transfer.

Alina Khadka  17:45  
Yes, to the bachelor's. 

Evan Franulovich  17:45  
You're a little different. 

Alina Khadka  17:46  
Yes, mine's a little different. 

Evan Franulovich  17:47  
Yeah, yeah. So if you're in that little different category, definitely work with our advisors. They'll plan that out. That's really cool. So I want to go back, go back to your Nepal experience a little bit before we get back to the US. 

Alina Khadka  18:03  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  18:03  
Because before we started recording, you told me that you're a little bit famous in Nepal.

Alina Khadka  18:09  
A little bit. 

Evan Franulovich  18:09  
I'm talking to a celebrity! So how's... So how is that? Just for fun? 

Alina Khadka  18:14  
So, I was Miss Bhaktapur 2018, I guess. 

Evan Franulovich  18:18  
Very cool. 

Alina Khadka  18:19  
I won this beauty present. And you know why I won that beauty present? Because the price in that beauty present was like...

Evan Franulovich  18:26  
Was it money? 

Alina Khadka  18:27  
No, it was not money. It was like a scooter. Do you know what scooter is? 

Evan Franulovich  18:30  
Oh yeah, like an ebike, like an electric bike or...? 

Alina Khadka  18:33  
Not electronic, like it runs with a gas. 

Evan Franulovich  18:35  
Oh, it does. Okay. Like a moped scooter...

Alina Khadka  18:39  
Scooter. 

Evan Franulovich  18:39  
Yeah, okay. 

Alina Khadka  18:41  
So I wanted like I at least wanted to have a motorbike or scooter of my own and my parents was not ... they were not buying me because road traffic accidents that happens a lot in Bhaktapur...

Evan Franulovich  18:53  
It's scary. Yeah.

Alina Khadka  18:54  
Yes. And then my parents were like, "It's not about the money I would buy you anything but not the scooters or bikes or like that." And then I was like, "Okay, fine." I mean, I tried everything, I blackmailed them by not eating food for a week. You know, I tried everything but they were not buying me the scooter. And then I saw a first prize was a scooter and I was like, "I gotta get this. I gotta get this." 

Evan Franulovich  19:20  
So did you have to do like talent? Did you have to...?

Alina Khadka  19:22  
I did. We had like talent round, we had like introduction round, we had like a question round. And then we had like a ... thing. 

Evan Franulovich  19:31  
Of course.

Alina Khadka  19:31  
So yeah, everything... 

Evan Franulovich  19:32  
So what do you do for talent? 

Alina Khadka  19:34  
I think I danced for talent. 

Evan Franulovich  19:36  
So cool. 

Alina Khadka  19:37  
Yeah. And then before this beauty present also, like I always wanted to be in media. I don't know why. I find it so much fun to be like a face or like you know...

Evan Franulovich  19:48  
Yeah, of course. 

Alina Khadka  19:49  
So before, Miss... Miss Bhaktapur... I was in another beauty present and I won Miss Talent Award. I was offered four movies. Can you imagine that?

Evan Franulovich  20:00  
In Bollywood?

Alina Khadka  20:02  
In Kollywood, in Nepal. 

Evan Franulovich  20:03  
Kollywood? I've never heard of Kollywood. So, Katmandu is kind of where they make the movies? 

Alina Khadka  20:08  
Kollywood. Yeah. Kathmandu.

Evan Franulovich  20:11  
That's pretty cool. 

Alina Khadka  20:12  
So yeah, I was offered four movies. I did one, I think one music video and one short movie. I was even offered for a movie, which I was not able to do because I was in a nursing school. Yeah. So... and then I was a brand ambassador for Bhaktapur Electronic Trade Association, leather designers... 

Evan Franulovich  20:31  
Very cool. Yeah. Well, that's really great. I love that stuff. Okay, so you decided to go to Iowa. When you were in Nepal. You needed to get a visa, obviously, in order to make that happen. Did you use an agent? Or did you do it direct yourself? 

Alina Khadka  20:47  
I do it by myself.

Evan Franulovich  20:48  
Did it yourself? 

Alina Khadka  20:49  
Well, I would say I got help from my sister. 

Evan Franulovich  20:51  
Okay. Yeah. But you didn't hire an agent to do that? 

Alina Khadka  20:53  
No, no, no. I didn't do that.

Evan Franulovich  20:54  
Because I know it. There's a lot of agents in Nepal. Some people use them. Some people don't, I just wanted your take. So you applied on your own. From the time you applied to the time you heard from that school, how long before you got your acceptance letter? 

Alina Khadka  21:08  
I think I had to wait for at least like three, four months. 

Evan Franulovich  21:11  
Oh, It was quite a while! 

Alina Khadka  21:12  
Yeah. Because we are South Asians. And it's not that easy for us to like, get a visa slot open for interview or even for like, you know, applying these things or you to take English proficiency test, we have to take a date. And then like in that time, it was like COVID. And then it was very hard to get a visa interview or anything. Yeah. So I was lucky, I would say. 

Evan Franulovich  21:37  
And your visa interview... How long was it? Did it take you very long?

Alina Khadka  21:41  
Oh my gosh, it was so funny. I was the only one person... like out like we had our interview, right? And I was like only one person who got the visa.

Evan Franulovich  21:54  
Out of the whole group? 

Alina Khadka  21:55  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  21:56  
Oh my gosh. 

Alina Khadka  21:57  
That's why I was waiting. So like, we had to stay in line like like, you know, like armies like to be in a queue. And like we just wait for our turn. And I was seeing that it was like a long, like with the rows. There were like long line and then everyone in a queue. And I was at the end. And I could see everyone and they said like Sorry, you were rejected. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. It's something like that. 

Evan Franulovich  22:18  
All these denials. 

Alina Khadka  22:19  
Yes. And then. And then I was waiting. I was like, "Oh my god, I think I will be denied my visa will be denied too." I was just thinking like that. And then when I was like, like, in front of my interviewer, I was like, I would just like standing like this. And he asked me, "Are you an army?" And I was like, "No, but my dad is." And then and then he was like, "I can see that" like, you know.

Evan Franulovich  22:45  
Just relax. 

Alina Khadka  22:45  
Yeah, he was like, "Just relax." And then, I relaxed. And then. And then he just asked me two questions, because first of all, he saw my I-20. And then like he saw, like the amount of scholarship that I got. So that's why I think I got my visa. 

Evan Franulovich  23:01  
Maybe helpful. Yeah, yeah. 

Alina Khadka  23:02  
That was helpful. 

Evan Franulovich  23:03  
Yeah, that's pretty nice. Just so people that are listening know, if you apply to Seattle Colleges, we don't have any scholarships that you can apply to before you come. You actually have to be an existing student before you can apply for say, a Foundation scholarship. 

Alina Khadka  23:21  
Wait, I'm sorry. 

Evan Franulovich  23:22  
Yeah. But in your case, because you're a transfer student, it probably worked a little different. 

Alina Khadka  23:28  
Oh, yeah, maybe. 

Evan Franulovich  23:28  
Or if you've been accepted, as long as you've been accepted, maybe you can apply. But like a lot of people, they come up to me and they ask before they even apply, like, "Can I get a scholarship? Can I get a full ride scholarship?" And I'm like, "No, you have to be an existing student first." So maybe the fact that you had been accepted that you're a transfer student, that might have had an impact on you being able to get that money.

Alina Khadka  23:51  
Maybe, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  23:52  
So but that's really great. So you got your visa, and then you flew to Iowa. 

Alina Khadka  24:01  
I flew to Iowa. 

Evan Franulovich  24:03  
Did you know anybody there? 

Alina Khadka  24:04  
In Iowa?

Evan Franulovich  24:05  
Yeah.

Alina Khadka  24:05  
Well, there were some Nepalese students.

Evan Franulovich  24:06  
Oh, there were? Oh, ok.

Alina Khadka  24:07  
Yeah, I think we were in total, 24. 

Evan Franulovich  24:10  
Oh, that's quite a few. 

Alina Khadka  24:11  
Yeah. Quite a few.

Evan Franulovich  24:12  
That's great. 

Alina Khadka  24:12  
Well, I wouldn't say like, when I was there, we were just like 10 to 12. And then like, after my batch there were like more Nepalese coming. So in total, we were like, 24-26 Nepalese. And then like, Yeah, we... there. And then in Iowa, we couldn't find a lot of Nepalese community.

Evan Franulovich  24:29  
Probably not. 

Alina Khadka  24:29  
And then... Even though if we find like they were like, way far away from our dorms. Yeah, but they were very nice. Like, they would like invite us in the festival seasons, you know, festival... They were so nice. And then I want to mention this like Americans, I have. Well, just like I mentioned before, like everyone has their own personality, but but by the grace of God again, I have found all Americans so nice here. I'm so lucky to say that even in Iowa like Iowa community people. They're so nice, especially for international students. They'll love international students. So in thanksgiving or in Christmas, they will bring a lot of foods they would like, if it's winter, they will bring us like warm jackets and everything. 

Evan Franulovich  25:18  
Did they know... what what I've experienced is like a lot of people don't really know much about the outside world. Like, do they like where is Nepal? Do they... did or did they know a lot about a lot about Nepal. 

Alina Khadka  25:31  
So whenever like, There was even one time there was this incident person like, Iowan. Asked me like where I was from. Like most of the people they see me as like Latina, Mexican, they confuse me. Yeah. And then I said, I'm from Nepal. And he's like, "Well, where is this?" And then I said it's in Asia. And then he started saying India? No, it's very close. And it's not in India. Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:04  
Yeah, that's funny. Well, okay, so you got here. You went to school you transferred here. Tell us about the kinds of classes, since you're not declared. And you're just spending time taking classes? What kinds of classes have you taken? 

Alina Khadka  26:20  
From Iowa? 

Evan Franulovich  26:21  
No, no, from here in North Seattle.

Alina Khadka  26:22  
Well, this is my first quarter here in North Seattle. And then like I took General Biology. 

Evan Franulovich  26:30  
Should be an easy class for you. 

Alina Khadka  26:32  
It's fun. I wouldn't say it's easy. It's fun. 

Evan Franulovich  26:34  
Okay. Did, does it, does it? I mean, obviously, you took biology when you're in Nepal? 

Alina Khadka  26:39  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  26:39  
Is it feel different? Does the class feel different? 

Alina Khadka  26:42  
It does feel very different. 

Evan Franulovich  26:43  
Really?

Alina Khadka  26:43  
Because the infrastructure is the way we study the way we submit our assignments. Everything is so different. Like I had a computer back in Nepal, but I had a laptop too. But I wouldn't use that a lot. And even like in when I was working as a nurse, we don't have to use computer because we do everything in manual way. 

Evan Franulovich  27:03  
The old school. 

Alina Khadka  27:04  
Yes, old school way. And here we do everything in like computer. And then for a couple of months while I was in the United States for the first time, it was very hard for me to adopt. Because like everything I had to do was in computer. And then like you need to sumbit the assignment and everything. I was struggling for a while. But once you're used to it, it's so easy. Like I was like, why wasn't? Why was I not using this?

Evan Franulovich  27:28  
Well, that's interesting. Is that your biggest adjustment then?

Alina Khadka  27:32  
Yes, I would say like working on the infrastructures, the new gadgets. Yeah, that's like a big, big change for me.

Evan Franulovich  27:41  
What about just culture shocks, and any kind of like? 

Alina Khadka  27:44  
Every single day.

Evan Franulovich  27:45  
Really?

Alina Khadka  27:46  
Yes, most of the time every single day. I have to mention this bus drivers in North Seattle. They're very nice. Why are they so nice? The way they treat the passengers. Oh my gosh, i wish i could take them with me like everywhere I go.

Evan Franulovich  28:02  
And what I've heard from other international students is they're always surprised because when people get off the buses, they'll say thank you to the bus driver. And they're like nobody does that in our country. 

Alina Khadka  28:11  
Oh, yeah?

Evan Franulovich  28:12  
Is that true?

Alina Khadka  28:13  
That is so true. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. We like the first day. I told me back in Nepal, I was not like a public bus rider. So like, here, it was so new to me and my host family. I stay here with Seattle. So they helped me how to ride a bus and then like, and then did they teach me that I have to pull that yellow string? 

Evan Franulovich  28:34  
Yes. To get your stop.

Alina Khadka  28:36  
Which is so new. And culture shock thing for me. Because in Nepal we just *knock knock* stop here. Yeah, we do that. Yeah. We have to say like, Okay, this is the bus stop. I need to stop. Okay.

Evan Franulovich  28:49  
And we do that. That's cool. Yeah. So you've been here for just the quarter. What have you found in the city of Seattle? Like, what do you do for fun?

Alina Khadka  28:58  
It's huge, if you compare it to Iowa, it's out of nowhere, like it's farm everywhere. And they're like, snows a lot. And like, you have very limited things to have fun. But here. You have so many things like so many options. If you're not outgoing. You can just like stay and then what observe the rain and the beautiful greeneries and if you're outgoing, you can go hiking. You can like do kayaking, which I love doing. 

Evan Franulovich  29:30  
Yeah. 

Alina Khadka  29:30  
And then you can go trekking.

Evan Franulovich  29:32  
Have you been out on the Puget Sound? 

Alina Khadka  29:33  
Lake Washington. 

Evan Franulovich  29:34  
Oh, Lake Washington. 

Alina Khadka  29:35  
Puget Sound. I love it, and then are, Can you imagine it was my first time to see or like step in seas and oceans because Nepal is landlocked country. 

Evan Franulovich  29:48  
Yeah. 

Alina Khadka  29:48  
And I was in Iowa. There is no seas and oceans out there. And like, I was like, I was so scared to even like step like this because of the wave coming. And then I was like, running.

Evan Franulovich  30:01  
That's awesome. You know, I grew up on the Oregon coast. 

Alina Khadka  30:04  
Oh, yeah?

Evan Franulovich  30:04  
So we would love to watch people from landlocked states. Come and watch them go to the beach for the first day because they do exactly what you're talking. 

Alina Khadka  30:13  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  30:14  
It's such a strange experience.

Alina Khadka  30:15  
And I love it. And I love seafood still, Seattle provides you the best seafood ever. 

Evan Franulovich  30:21  
There's a lot of great seafood, their ideas?

Alina Khadka  30:24  
I think it's very diverse too, like you see different kinds of people from all over the world. People are very nice here.

Evan Franulovich  30:30  
Yeah, Seattle is very cosmopolitan people from all over. Now. There's a fairly large Asian community here. Have you met a lot of other Nepalis that aren't students? 

Alina Khadka  30:40  
Oh, yes. Do you know there's one restaurant in Lake Forest? It's named Evers kitchen.

Evan Franulovich  30:47  
In Lake Forest? Yes, I have been to that.

Alina Khadka  30:49  
And it is owned by ... Yeah, yeah. And then his daughter and his son were also in Iowa University. The same university. 

Evan Franulovich  31:00  
Really?

Alina Khadka  31:00  
Yeah, they graduated. They are senior. 

Evan Franulovich  31:02  
If it's the same restaurant I'm thinking of, it's kind of like in a shopping area.

Alina Khadka  31:07  
Ross, and like there are other restaurants. 

Evan Franulovich  31:10  
And so you know, I thought the food was pretty good. What do you think? 

Alina Khadka  31:14  
Oh, it's amazing. 

Evan Franulovich  31:15  
It's really legit. Like if you really some good, I mean, they call it Tibet, Nepal? 

Alina Khadka  31:21  
Tibet, Nepal. Tibet, Nepal restaurant.

Evan Franulovich  31:23  
If you want some good, yeah, it's a good restaurant for sure. Yeah. Well, good to hear.

Alina Khadka  31:28  
It needs promotion. Yeah. Yeah. But yes, he is very nice Nipali if you like, if you guys if you are Napoli. And if you're like having problems existing in this community, you should go visit him, he will guide you through everything. He's very nice. He there. He treated me like his own daughter. Like, like in our community, in our culture, like our seniors, like when we meet them. And when we leave after meeting them. Like they hand us like money in our hand and blessing.

Evan Franulovich  32:01  
That's nice. 

Alina Khadka  32:02  
And then he did the same thing to me. He gave me like 50 bucks in my hand and then gave me the blessings. And I was like omg, I was about to cry. 

Evan Franulovich  32:11  
Yeah, for sure. 

Alina Khadka  32:11  
Yeah. Because I've not been to Nepal for like, almost three years. And then he made me feel like home is amazing. That's really cool. It's very amazing. He's a very amazing person. And he has such a good concept of humanity. You know, like he has been, he has been donating a lot of stuff. Even in Maui or other places. Yeah, so he's such a nice human being. 

Evan Franulovich  32:37  
Check it out. 

Alina Khadka  32:38  
Yeah, please do. name of the restaurant again. Everest Kitchen, Nepal. Forest Park.

Evan Franulovich  32:44  
I live in Edmonds. So it's not very far. 

Alina Khadka  32:46  
Yeah! 

Evan Franulovich  32:46  
It's real close. 

Alina Khadka  32:47  
Yes, please visit there and then do tell my name. Maybe they might give you a discount. Alina is my name guys.

Evan Franulovich  32:54  
Well, if he doesn't, it's still worth going because the food's really good. 

Alina Khadka  32:57  
Yes, yes, yes. 

Evan Franulovich  32:59  
Yeah, that's great.

Alina Khadka  33:00  
So yeah, I have met some of the Nepalese community here. And they're very nice. They're very helpful. They say like, I'm always here for you if you need anything. Yeah. And then also the Americans. My host family. Oh, my God, I must tell about my host family. Is that okay?

Evan Franulovich  33:15  
Yes, of course.

Alina Khadka  33:15  
So I live with Jack and Kelly. That's their name. And then their family. I think they're from here, or I don't know what Jackie's from New York, but they've been here for like more than 30-40 years. 

Evan Franulovich  33:27  
Oh, and so how did you find them?

Alina Khadka  33:29  
Jack has been to Nepal. 

Evan Franulovich  33:31  
Aahhh....

Alina Khadka  33:32  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  33:33  
Okay. 

Alina Khadka  33:33  
And Kelly has been to India for like 23-24 times. Oh my gosh. And then Jack has been to my sister's wedding too. And then my sister's husband, my brother in law. My sister husband was also like, Jack and Kelly were a host family for my brother in law too.

Evan Franulovich  33:52  
Oh my gosh. So you knew these guys for quite a while. 

Alina Khadka  33:56  
And then they're, they're so nice. They're the best people you will ever find anywhere no matter you, no matter where you go that you will never find people like them. 

Evan Franulovich  34:05  
Do they always host international students or they've just entered? 

Alina Khadka  34:08  
Well, they used to host like, they have host so many times to international students. But they have stopped for a while. And I was like a guest, like "Surprise i'm here" because of the closing in Iowa.

Evan Franulovich  34:21  
Do they speak Nepali?

Alina Khadka  34:24  
Kelly is, Kelly speaks Hindi. 

Evan Franulovich  34:26  
Okay.

Alina Khadka  34:27  
She's pretty good at it. But they're trying to speak Nepali too.

Evan Franulovich  34:31  
So if you speak to someone who speaks Hindi Do you understand?

Alina Khadka  34:33  
I do! I'm fluent in Hindi, English, Nepali, In Spanish. 

Evan Franulovich  34:39  
Nice. Oh, that means it's Trivia Time. is the part of the show where we ask you five questions. If you get them all right. And if you don't, you get our applause. Get up on the wall of fame. 

Alina Khadka  34:55  
Okay.

Evan Franulovich  34:56  
So famous and bolt, you'll be multi continent famous to be honest.

Alina Khadka  35:00  
I hope it's not that hard.

Evan Franulovich  35:01  
Nah, It's. Well, it's sometimes it can be hard. So let's get started. First question should be fairly easy. Since you're a student here at North Seattle College. What is the mascot associated with this campus? What is it? 

Alina Khadka  35:14  
Tree frogs?

Evan Franulovich  35:14  
It's the treefrogs. 

Alina Khadka  35:17  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  35:18  
Nice job. All right, very good. Let's go to our second question. Short term certificates, like the kind you're involved with, can be done in blocks of time. Can you tell me what the length of time are?

Alina Khadka  35:36  
Probably two years.

Evan Franulovich  35:38  
Two years is not one of those times. You can do 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. 

Alina Khadka  35:45  
Oh, interesting!

Evan Franulovich  35:46  
Short term certificates.

Alina Khadka  35:47  
I'm sorry. I did not do my homework. 

Evan Franulovich  35:49  
It's all right. You're, you're enrolled, so you don't need to do. Well, that's cool. All right. Question number three. Since you come from a mountainous country. Let's talk about the mountains here in the state of Washington, down the center of the state there is a mountain chain. What is the name of that mountain chain?

Alina Khadka  36:06  
Is it Mount ...??? Or Mount? What was it? Can you just give me your first letter?

Evan Franulovich  36:11  
Well, like in Nepal, you have the Himalayan Mountains. Okay. What are the mountains called in Washington? Starts with the "C".s

Alina Khadka  36:24  
Oh my god.

Evan Franulovich  36:27  
All right. The Cascade Mountains.

Alina Khadka  36:31  
Cascade Mountains. Oh my god. Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  36:34  
Bonus Question. Just for fun. 

Alina Khadka  36:36  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  36:36  
There's a another mountain group just to the west of the city. You can see it across the Puget Sound. What are the name of those mountains? 

Alina Khadka  36:44  
And I've seen them.

Evan Franulovich  36:45  
Yeah, you see them all the time. When it's beautiful out. Those are the Olympic Mountains. And it's a national park. Actually. 

Alina Khadka  36:53  
Yes, I heard it. Like every year there's like a cycle race.

Evan Franulovich  36:58  
Oh, I'm sure, yeah. 

Alina Khadka  36:59  
From Olympic to all the way somewhere

Evan Franulovich  37:01  
Nice. 

Alina Khadka  37:02  
Yeah, I have heard about that.

Evan Franulovich  37:03  
Yeah, you should check. Well, there's also a really famous race. It's the Seattle to Portland. 

Alina Khadka  37:09  
Oooooooooooh!!!

Evan Franulovich  37:09  
So people ride their bikes from Seattle all the way to Portland, Oregon. 

Alina Khadka  37:11  
Wow. 

Evan Franulovich  37:12  
That's a really cool you can do it's like two days. 

Alina Khadka  37:15  
Two days. Oh my god.

Evan Franulovich  37:17  
They do it. Well, maybe it's over a full weekend. I don't know. But yeah, people start here and they just ride, ride, ride. And there's a big group of people. I think they camp somewhere halfway. sounds really cool. 

Evan Franulovich  37:26  
I've never done it but... 

Alina Khadka  37:27  
I would love to do that!

Evan Franulovich  37:28  
... I have a friend who's done it. You could look into it. Yeah, I can't remember what the proper name for it is. But if you just googled "Portland" OR "Seattle to Portland bike race". Alright, question number four. At Seattle Colleges, we have blocks of time. How many blocks of time are there each year? How many quarters are there each year?

Alina Khadka  37:54  
I know that one, four quarter.

Evan Franulovich  37:56  
There are for four quarters. And for international students. You can start at any one of those quarters. 

Alina Khadka  38:04  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  38:04  
So if you don't want to start till winter, that's totally okay. 

Alina Khadka  38:07  
Yeah, you can start from any quarters here. That's a good thing.

Evan Franulovich  38:10  
Yeah. Some universities you can't. They want you to start in the fall. 

Alina Khadka  38:13  
Yeah. That's what I've been facing right now. I applied to this Western Washington University.

Evan Franulovich  38:19  
Oh, yeah. Up in Bellingham. 

Alina Khadka  38:20  
And then yeah, and then it starts from fall. So I can't wait. 

Evan Franulovich  38:25  
And you have to watch the clock carefully, guys, because you need to apply by a certain time...

Alina Khadka  38:30  
Right. There's a deadline. 

Evan Franulovich  38:32  
So yeah, so if when you're planning out your educational pathway, really do your research know when your deadlines are for applying. If you're going to start at Seattle Colleges, which is a great way to save a lot of money, save some time, make sure you know when to apply to the school you're transferring to, it's important.

Alina Khadka  38:49  
So true.

Evan Franulovich  38:50  
Alright, last question. Name the last movie you saw here in Seattle.

Alina Khadka  38:58  
Last movie that I saw in Seattle...

Evan Franulovich  39:01  
Have you seen any movies?

Alina Khadka  39:02  
I mean, I have but it's just like not popping up in my mind right now. Um...

Evan Franulovich  39:08  
Do you go to the movie theater?

Alina Khadka  39:10  
I did not go to the movie theater. 

Evan Franulovich  39:11  
Oh, you don't. Okay.

Alina Khadka  39:12  
Yeah, I'm not like, I'm not that person that would enjoy the movie in movie theater. 

Evan Franulovich  39:16  
Oh, okay. 

Alina Khadka  39:17  
I like watching at home.

Evan Franulovich  39:20  
You can stretch out. So are you watching like you watch like Netflix?

Alina Khadka  39:25  
Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus.

Evan Franulovich  39:28  
Are you into any series any American series?

Alina Khadka  39:31  
Um, I think I was watching I'm so excited for "Queen's Gambit" too. Do you know about that?

Evan Franulovich  39:37  
I haven't watched it. 

Alina Khadka  39:38  
Oh my god. 

Evan Franulovich  39:38  
I've heard about it, but I haven't watched it. 

Alina Khadka  39:40  
You should definitely watch Queens Gambit. 

Evan Franulovich  39:42  
Okay.

Alina Khadka  39:42  
I mean, it's a bit feminized, but like it's a very nice, nice series. Like you will love that series. It's about... should I tell you or you gonna watch it?

Evan Franulovich  39:52  
You can... I mean telling us what it's about. It's not going to ruin it for anybody. 

Alina Khadka  39:55  
So it's about a lady she's like, she's, she's, she's, I think her mom dies in a car crash and then like, she's was abandoned and then like she's, I think she grows, she grow, she grew. She grew up in this. What do you guys call orphanage? 

Evan Franulovich  40:13  
Yeah.

Alina Khadka  40:14  
In orphanage. And then like, ever since she was kids, she was like this. she had this fun of like watching others playing chess. So it's about chess.

Evan Franulovich  40:23  
Is this take place in the United States or in Britain?

Alina Khadka  40:28  
I think it's in the United States. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  40:30  
I heard Queens so I thought maybe it's a British thing but, yeah. 

Alina Khadka  40:33  
Queen's Gambit. The series name is Queen's Gambit. But it's amazing.

Evan Franulovich  40:38  
There you go check it out. Queen's Gambit. All right. Well, we're at the end of our show. We've spent a lot of time. Thanks for taking so much time with us. 

Alina Khadka  40:45  
Oh, no!

Evan Franulovich  40:45  
But me tell us, tell us final words of advice to people back in your part of the world.

Alina Khadka  40:53  
I, one simple and straight my like strategy I follow is like. Well, people always say you'd like work hard, work hard, work hard. But these days, it's not about working only hard. Like you got to work smart, because that's how you reach your goal like I know you have to work hard, but at the same time, you have to be smart and then you have to know what you are doing. And these are the lessons that I learned from my Mohan. Mohan Guru, sorry. And then like my host family, my sister, and you should always have a support family or support group with you. So that like when you are not feeling good, there is like someone always like you should always have to go person to, so you can share your feelings. And then if you're thinking about like applying or trying to, like trying to come as F-1 student in the United States, grab your opportunity. This is the time you have.

Evan Franulovich  41:47  
That's true.

Alina Khadka  41:47  
And then North Seattle College or any Seattle Colleges, they are the best one of the best in the Seattle. 

Evan Franulovich  41:53  
Yeah, we've got three campuses, we got South Seattle's, Seattle Central and the North Seattle.

Alina Khadka  41:58  
And then like, you can see, you can find everything you need in website or on website. And then like...

Evan Franulovich  42:04  
It's true.

Alina Khadka  42:04  
... if you have any queries or inquiries or any questions regarding you can always email them and they're very quick. They reply very fast. And then like someone is always there to help.

Evan Franulovich  42:15  
We try.

Alina Khadka  42:16  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  42:16  
I sometimes, I'm slow. But have you been to the other campuses? Either to South or Central?

Alina Khadka  42:22  
I think I've been to the central. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  42:23  
Okay.

Alina Khadka  42:24  
It's in Capital Hill. 

Evan Franulovich  42:25  
Yep, yeah. It's real close by. All right. And then the last thing, we are doing with our international guests is asking you to say a few words in your own language. We may have listeners that have never heard Nepali so that's kind of cool. We had a guest from India the other day and she spoke in punjabi.

Alina Khadka  42:41  
Yeah, she's in my class. She's was talking about that. 

Evan Franulovich  42:45  
It was really great. So yeah, so maybe if you don't mind saying some words in Nepalese.

Alina Khadka  42:51  
I would love, thank you so much for this opportunity. Let me say this in Nepali. (*Alina says thank you in Nepali*). How do you say opportunity in Nepali? Oh my god. (*Alina says thank you in Nepali*). Thank you.

Evan Franulovich  43:43  
Nice. Well, thanks so much for coming. We really appreciate your time. It's so much fun to visit. Go. Come visit. Meet Alina here.

Alina Khadka  43:54  
Thank you so much for having me. 

Evan Franulovich  43:56  
Yeah. 

Alina Khadka  43:56  
And then yes, you can definitely meet me and then I work as a front decks assistant here in IP office.

Evan Franulovich  44:04  
International Programs?

Alina Khadka  44:04  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  44:05  
Oh, so cool. 

Alina Khadka  44:06  
I work as a front desk assistant here in international program office that you can visit me I work on Tuesdays, Thursdays. So yeah, if you have any questions, and if you need any help, you can just like email me or like, you know, meet me in class in person. I would love to help you.

Evan Franulovich  44:23  
Alright guys, that's it for this episode of "Conversations with" take care. Thanks so much. Bye bye!

Alina Khadka  44:32  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  44:34  
'Conversations with!' is painstakingly crafted for you by the Seattle Colleges International Programs department and supported by the lovely folks here on our campus. This show is produced and edited by me Evan Franulovich. We welcome your emails and questions about coming to Seattle Colleges. Please reach out to us via our website or just give us a rating and a review on Apple podcasts as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube at Seattle Colleges Intl, that's Seattle Colleges Intl. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with!' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.