S3E26: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Rounak Sudan of the UAE

In this our twenty-sixth (26th) episode of Season 3, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Rounak Sudan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about his experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Rounak!

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Transcript

Evan Franulovich  0:00  
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  1:04  
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with!' We are here at Seattle Central College again. I need to get out to North and South a little more this this quarter, I just haven't done it much. I'm really excited because it's our first guest from the UAE. Welcome. Why don't you tell everybody who you are, where you're from exactly in the UAE, and then maybe what you're studying?

Rounak Sudan  1:04  
My name is Rounak. Rounak Sudan is my full name. I'm from India, but born and brought up in Dubai. 

Evan Franulovich  1:45  
Nice. 

Rounak Sudan  1:47  
And right now I'm doing my associates degree at Seattle Central. 

Evan Franulovich  1:50  
In what subject?

Rounak Sudan  1:52  
I'm doing currently accounting. 

Evan Franulovich  1:55  
Oh, you're an accounting student. Yes, you like the numbers. 

Rounak Sudan  1:59  
For now. 

Evan Franulovich  2:00  
For now, okay. So how long have you been here? 

Rounak Sudan  2:02  
I've been here for two years now. 

Evan Franulovich  2:05  
Two years. So do you graduate soon? 

Rounak Sudan  2:07  
I graduate soon. 

Evan Franulovich  2:09  
Wow. Very cool. So will you go to the graduation ceremony at the baseball stadium at the end of the spring quarter?

Rounak Sudan  2:22  
Maybe, I still have to decide whether I'm going or not. But is it mandatory? 

Evan Franulovich  2:28  
It's not mandatory, but I highly recommend it. It's much cooler than you think it is. 

Rounak Sudan  2:34  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  2:35  
There's a huge crowd of people graduating, which is great. You get to go into the baseball park, which is really cool. Have you been to a mariners game? 

Rounak Sudan  2:44  
I have not. I don't know a thing about baseball. 

Evan Franulovich  2:47  
Oh, well, it's similar to cricket. 

Rounak Sudan  2:49  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  2:49  
Are you a cricket fan? 

Rounak Sudan  2:51  
I did play for Dubai for a while. 

Evan Franulovich  2:53  
Oh, what? That's cool. So, yeah, it's similar, not exactly the same, but you know, roughly. So it's a great experience to be able to go there and check it out. I highly recommend it. 

Rounak Sudan  3:05  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  3:06  
And any of you guys that are out there listening, that are studying currently at Seattle Colleges, recommend you go to your graduation. It's kind of a unique thing. I know it's just your first two years of university, but it's still kind of a milestone. You know? You've completed those first years, it's fun to celebrate. I went to mine because I went to a community college, and I really loved it. My mom came out and she came to the graduation. That was great. Let's go back to when you first started, you said that you were born in UAE? 

Rounak Sudan  3:41  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  3:42  
So you must have been born, went back to India and then came back to UAE? 

Rounak Sudan  3:46  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  3:46  
How did that work? 

Rounak Sudan  3:47  
I was born in Dubai, I started my schooling there. 

Evan Franulovich  3:51  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  3:52  
There was a point where I've been back to India for three years. 

Evan Franulovich  3:55  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  3:56  
Which was for boarding school. 

Evan Franulovich  3:57  
Ahh!

Rounak Sudan  3:58  
I did boarding school India, and then I came back to Dubai and completed my high school. 

Evan Franulovich  4:03  
Right. So why didn't you finish boarding school? And did you not like going to school in India? 

Rounak Sudan  4:10  
I did like it, but it was not where I wanted to complete my studies. 

Evan Franulovich  4:14  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  4:15  
That was just a choice I had made to come back. 

Evan Franulovich  4:18  
All right, fair enough. 

Rounak Sudan  4:19  
Yeah, those three years were really beneficial. 

Evan Franulovich  4:22  
Oh, good. In what way?

Rounak Sudan  4:25  
In India, I didn't really have a lot of family in the area I was staying. My morning school was in a jungle hill station sort of. 

Evan Franulovich  4:35  
Was that like northeast? 

Rounak Sudan  4:36  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  4:38  
Like Darjeeling area? 

Rounak Sudan  4:40  
Yeah. Well, close to that. 

Evan Franulovich  4:42  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  4:43  
It was similar we had a forest. It was up in a jungle sort of environment.

Evan Franulovich  4:49  
Okay.

Rounak Sudan  4:50  
And it really helped with independence, because I was living with friends. 

Evan Franulovich  4:57  
Right, right. 

Rounak Sudan  4:59  
So it really helped with independence and communication. 

Evan Franulovich  5:03  
So when you were there, how old were you? What were your ages?

Rounak Sudan  5:07  
I don't remember the exact age, but it was grade sixth. Sixth grade to eighth grade.

Evan Franulovich  5:15  
Okay, so junior-high basically. Cool. And then you came back to the UAE, and when you were in the UAE, did you do private or public school? 

Rounak Sudan  5:22  
I went to a private school. It was a very interesting experience, because I was in a white school. So there were not a lot of locals, like Arabs, like a lot of people expect, there are a few, but there's definitely more of an international population there... 

Evan Franulovich  5:49  
That's cool. 

Rounak Sudan  5:49  
...in the education system. 

Evan Franulovich  5:52  
Which school was it? 

Rounak Sudan  5:53  
I went to a number of schools. I went to the school called Dwight School Dubai. 

Evan Franulovich  5:58  
I know this one, yeah.

Rounak Sudan  5:59  
And then I went to Gems Modern Academy, which is where I graduated from. 

Evan Franulovich  6:04  
Nice, what kind of a curriculum did they have there? 

Rounak Sudan  6:07  
IB. 

Evan Franulovich  6:07  
Okay, very good. 

Rounak Sudan  6:09  
IB is the curriculum, it's pretty hard. 

Evan Franulovich  6:12  
It's pretty hard? 

Rounak Sudan  6:13  
It prepares you well. 

Evan Franulovich  6:14  
Yeah, that's what I've heard. 

Rounak Sudan  6:15  
For the future, yeah. So it's good. 

Evan Franulovich  6:17  
Cool. And when I don't know much about that, when you guys graduate, do they have a graduation ceremony? 

Rounak Sudan  6:24  
Yeah, there was a graduation ceremony with, the robes and the hat and everything. 

Evan Franulovich  6:29  
Cool. 

Rounak Sudan  6:29  
Which was pretty cool. 

Evan Franulovich  6:31  
Nice. So you're graduating from there and you're making a decision about what to do next. Did you always know you wanted to be an international student? Or was someone just saying, 'Hey, you should go do this.' 

Rounak Sudan  6:43  
It was people mainly said, 'Hey, go do this.' 

Evan Franulovich  6:47  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  6:48  
I didn't know I was gonna end up here. I didn't even know Seattle was a huge place, until I started researching about this college. I actually started university already before. 

Evan Franulovich  7:05  
Oh, you did. 

Rounak Sudan  7:05  
I started. 

Evan Franulovich  7:06  
Oh, in Dubai.

Rounak Sudan  7:08  
Yeah, but I left halfway through because I found Seattle Central. 

Evan Franulovich  7:12  
Oh, cool. 

Rounak Sudan  7:12  
And my friend who goes here recommended me. And I was like, I should check it out, because I've always wanted to study in the US. So this was an opportunity for me, and I took it. 

Evan Franulovich  7:23  
So your friend is also from the UAE?

Rounak Sudan  7:27  
No, he's from India. 

Evan Franulovich  7:28  
Oh, he's from India. 

Rounak Sudan  7:29  
And he's lived in India. Our mothers are best friends. 

Evan Franulovich  7:34  
Ah, very cool. 

Rounak Sudan  7:35  
Sort of. So we know we existed. We just didn't talk as much. 

Evan Franulovich  7:39  
Right, right. 

Rounak Sudan  7:39  
Because we were in different countries. 

Evan Franulovich  7:40  
Did he graduate from Seattle Central? 

Rounak Sudan  7:44  
He's still in Seattle Central. 

Evan Franulovich  7:45  
Really cool. What's he studying? 

Rounak Sudan  7:47  
He's studying business as well. 

Evan Franulovich  7:49  
Very cool. So you guys are hanging out together? Do you share an apartment or? 

Rounak Sudan  7:54  
No, we don't share an apartment, but we see each other quite often. 

Evan Franulovich  7:58  
All right. What do you do for housing? I live in a student apartment in U District. 

Rounak Sudan  8:04  
Oh yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:05  
That's useful, cool part of town. 

Rounak Sudan  8:08  
Yeah, I have roommates who went to North Seattle College. 

Evan Franulovich  8:12  
Oh yeah, of course. North probably a little closer to U District than central. I don't know, maybe not. It's two subway stops from U District to get here. Two to get to North.

Rounak Sudan  8:12  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:19  
I guess it's the same. 

Rounak Sudan  8:29  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  8:31  
Very cool. Did you consider North as well? Or did you just say no?

Rounak Sudan  8:34  
I went to North and I didn't like it as much. 

Evan Franulovich  8:39  
Okay.

Rounak Sudan  8:42  
I do like the more modern look of this branch of Central. Yeah, so I prefer this. 

Evan Franulovich  8:54  
Well, I mean, each campus has their own personality, so if you're out there considering Seattle Colleges, but you're not sure which campus to go to, look on our website, look at our YouTube page, we have tours, virtual tours you can do. North is just a different feel like you're saying, yeah, some students love North, and they swear by it. Others like Central, it's down in the heart of the city, so a lot of coffee shops and stuff like that. 

Rounak Sudan  9:19  
Depends what you prefer. 

Evan Franulovich  9:20  
Right, right, right. 

Rounak Sudan  9:21  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  9:22  
So did you do a couple classes there?

Rounak Sudan  9:27  
In North?

Evan Franulovich  9:27  
Yeah.

Rounak Sudan  9:28  
I didn't do anything. 

Evan Franulovich  9:30  
Oh, you didn't do it. 

Rounak Sudan  9:30  
I just went there for a tour... 

Evan Franulovich  9:31  
Gotcha. 

Rounak Sudan  9:32  
...and decided I'm gonna come to Central. 

Evan Franulovich  9:34  
Very cool. So when you applied, so let's go back. You said, 'All right, I'm gonna go to Seattle.' Did you apply to any of the other schools in the Seattle area? 

Rounak Sudan  9:45  
Just Central. 

Evan Franulovich  9:46  
Cool. And then once you got your acceptance letter and your I-20, you had to do a visa interview. Yeah? 

Rounak Sudan  9:54  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  9:54  
And you did that in which city? 

Rounak Sudan  9:56  
I did that in the capital of UAE, called Abu Dhabi. 

Evan Franulovich  10:00  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  10:01  
Which is where they have the US Embassy. 

Evan Franulovich  10:03  
Right, right.  It's not very far, right? 

Rounak Sudan  10:04  
It's like a two hour, almost three hour drive. 

Evan Franulovich  10:08  
Oh, I thought it was much closer. Wow, okay. 

Rounak Sudan  10:10  
They're quite far apart. But yeah, I did the interview over there. 

Evan Franulovich  10:16  
Are there trains between Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Can you take a train? 

Rounak Sudan  10:19  
Not that I know. 

Evan Franulovich  10:20  
Nothing, okay. So you went there, how long did it take from the time you got your I-20 and you set up the appointment to the time you actually did the appointment? 

Rounak Sudan  10:29  
It was around...i would say, 15 days. 

Evan Franulovich  10:33  
Oh, that's not very long. 

Rounak Sudan  10:34  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:34  
That's great. 

Rounak Sudan  10:35  
And it didn't take long. Then they were quite fast with the whole thing. 

Evan Franulovich  10:39  
Right. 

Rounak Sudan  10:39  
So it was great. 

Evan Franulovich  10:40  
That's way faster than in India. In India, it can be like, 60 days, even longer sometimes. 

Rounak Sudan  10:46  
Yes, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:47  
So 15 days, that's very fast. And then tell me about your visa interview experience. 

Rounak Sudan  10:53  
It was surprising and easy.

Evan Franulovich  10:56  
That's good. 

Rounak Sudan  10:57  
A lot of people told me, they ask you this, they ask you that. They are not gonna ask me super hard questions. It just simply questions that I think my communication skills good enough so I can handle. 

Evan Franulovich  11:17  
What did they ask you?

Rounak Sudan  11:18  
How long are you planning on staying there? Where you from? Do you have any family there?

Evan Franulovich  11:25  
Oh, they did? That's interesting. Did they ask you about why Seattle Colleges? 

Rounak Sudan  11:32  
No, they just said, like, are you going to study? Which college? 

Evan Franulovich  11:36  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  11:38  
I just told them, Seattle Central. 

Evan Franulovich  11:41  
Did they have lights on above you? Guys with dark sunglasses? 

Rounak Sudan  11:45  
No, they were just like booths. 

Evan Franulovich  11:49  
Oh, okay. 

Rounak Sudan  11:49  
One by one, and they just ask you through a speaker. 

Evan Franulovich  11:53  
And so you got your visa on your first try? 

Rounak Sudan  11:55  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  11:55  
Yeah. So then they issue your visa, and then how long from the time you got your visa till the time you got on an airplane?

Rounak Sudan  12:05  
There was a lot of back and forth during that time, but not sure of the exact time, but it didn't take very long. 

Evan Franulovich  12:14  
Okay, so you kind of had to get your bags packed? 

Rounak Sudan  12:18  
Yeah, because I had to like, get here before the quarter started. I actually got here late. 

Evan Franulovich  12:25  
Oh, you did? 

Rounak Sudan  12:26  
I started my quarter... 

Evan Franulovich  12:27  
I remember seeing you when you first got here, but I don't remember you being late. 

Rounak Sudan  12:32  
I signed up for classes late. I attended the orientation and everything. 

Evan Franulovich  12:37  
Yeah, I saw you at Orientation. 

Rounak Sudan  12:38  
But I signed up for my classes late. 

Evan Franulovich  12:41  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  12:41  
It's hard to find classes that I would get into. 

Evan Franulovich  12:44  
Yeah, yeah. So once you get accepted, it's a good idea to do an intent to enroll. I think you have to say, 'Yeah, I'm coming.' 

Rounak Sudan  12:53  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  12:53  
And then you can get registered, or they'll get you registered for your classes. So if you wait, it's sometimes tough. But you were able to get a full schedule. 

Rounak Sudan  13:03  
Yeah, I initially started with four classes. 

Evan Franulovich  13:07  
That's a lot. 

Rounak Sudan  13:08  
Yeah, that's why now I'm taking three.

Evan Franulovich  13:11  
That's too much. 

Rounak Sudan  13:12  
Because at the start I was like, I can do this four classes, no problem. And then I was like, maybe should tone it down a bit. 

Evan Franulovich  13:18  
Yeah, that's cool. What were your classes that you took that first quarter? 

Rounak Sudan  13:23  
I took drama. 

Evan Franulovich  13:24  
Oh, cool. 

Rounak Sudan  13:25  
Which was interesting. 

Evan Franulovich  13:27  
Yeah? 

Rounak Sudan  13:28  
I took math, I took multicultural communications, and I took something else I can't remember. 

Evan Franulovich  13:39  
Okay, so did you take drama with Vrinda? She's been on the show. 

Rounak Sudan  13:44  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  13:44  
She's a theater major. 

Rounak Sudan  13:45  
I know she's also from India, I've heard. 

Evan Franulovich  13:49  
Yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  13:49  
No, I didn't take it with her. 

Evan Franulovich  13:50  
Okay, I wonder. 

Rounak Sudan  13:52  
But the teacher I had it with was really fun. 

Evan Franulovich  13:55  
Yeah? 

Rounak Sudan  13:56  
It was a fun experience. 

Evan Franulovich  13:57  
Did you have to actually act in a play, or anything? 

Rounak Sudan  13:59  
I did participate in a play.

Evan Franulovich  14:03  
That's cool! 

Rounak Sudan  14:04  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:04  
Tell me about it. 

Rounak Sudan  14:05  
I was a zombie. I played a zombie.

Evan Franulovich  14:09  
That's awesome. 

Rounak Sudan  14:10  
I didn't get any major roles. I did get a dancing role, and I played a zombie. 

Evan Franulovich  14:16  
Dancing zombies. 

Rounak Sudan  14:17  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:18  
What was the name of this play? 

Rounak Sudan  14:19  
I think summer holiday zombies, something like that. 

Evan Franulovich  14:23  
Awesome. 

Rounak Sudan  14:24  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:24  
Never heard of it, but that's cool. 

Rounak Sudan  14:26  
It was really fun actually. It was a fun experience to be. 

Evan Franulovich  14:30  
Did you have a lot of people come and see the play? 

Rounak Sudan  14:32  
Yeah, we had in the Anderson building actually. 

Evan Franulovich  14:36  
Right. 

Rounak Sudan  14:37  
We had quite a few people who came and saw the place. 

Evan Franulovich  14:40  
Cool. 

Rounak Sudan  14:40  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:41  
I think they do plays every quarter, or maybe once in the fall, once in the spring. 

Rounak Sudan  14:45  
I think it was just once in the spring. 

Evan Franulovich  14:48  
Okay.

Rounak Sudan  14:49  
That's when I attended it, and that's it. 

Evan Franulovich  14:52  
Yeah, it's always great. I mean, I think taking drama or acting or speech classes are really great because no matter what you do in life, whether you're an accountant or a doctor, it doesn't matter. You're gonna need to communicate with people. And, you know, push out your comfort zone. 

Rounak Sudan  15:08  
I agree with you so much because I feel like I learned that recently. Communication is very important. 

Evan Franulovich  15:19  
Yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  15:19  
And if you don't have communication skills, I recommend you try to get some. 

Evan Franulovich  15:26  
Yes. 

Rounak Sudan  15:26  
Learn, because you really need that in today's world too. 

Evan Franulovich  15:31  
Yeah. I mean, in interviews, you're gonna have to express yourself and talk to people you don't know, which can be nerve wracking, presenting findings for things you do. 

Rounak Sudan  15:41  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  15:42  
It's just a great class. Drama is a fun way to do it, and it's a good experience for your resume. 

Rounak Sudan  15:48  
Definitely, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  15:50  
Well, cool. So you did that first, then you've been here two years. When did you really start getting into the accounting kinds of meaty classes, the ones that were really getting into accounting?

Rounak Sudan  16:05  
In Seattle Central or just generally?

Evan Franulovich  16:08  
Yeah.

Rounak Sudan  16:08  
I started off the quarter quite easily, like I eased into it. I didn't go straight into like, accounting, or business, statistics, economics. I wanted to settle in first. 

Evan Franulovich  16:14  
Good idea.

Rounak Sudan  16:16  
It's the first time I'm moving with everything I have to this country. India was a thing. But India, I could still have some point of contact. Over here, there's nobody. So I wanted to settle in, get to know people. And then once I got the rhythm of things I could get into my harder, more mentally challenging classes. 

Evan Franulovich  16:50  
Challenging classes, yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  16:52  
Which is accounting, because I'm not particularly good with numbers. I'm actually better with like communication or economics. Economics is more of my alley. 

Evan Franulovich  17:05  
Cool. 

Rounak Sudan  17:06  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:07  
So do you think you'll stick with accounting, or do you think you'll switch to economics? 

Rounak Sudan  17:11  
I'm pretty sure I'm gonna switch. No offense to accounting students. 

Evan Franulovich  17:15  
No, no, not at all. 

Rounak Sudan  17:16  
Of course. 

Evan Franulovich  17:17  
One of the beautiful things about coming to college is discovering what you're good at. 

Rounak Sudan  17:21  
Yeah, I've had quite the journey with deciding what I'm going to do in the future. 

Evan Franulovich  17:29  
Right, right. Yeah, never feel bad about that. It's good while you're young to figure out what you like, what you're good at, because if you end up spending the rest of your life working in that field, it would be nice to enjoy it. 

Rounak Sudan  17:41  
Definitely agree with you. 

Evan Franulovich  17:42  
Yeah. And the cool thing, I criticize the US for a lot of things, but one of the things I think we do really well is giving students the opportunity to explore. Other countries, kind of lock you into something, and that's kind of where you go. But here, if you don't like what you're doing, just switch majors or try something else, it's nice. I mean, it can cost you money, it can cost you a little time, but better to spend a little extra time then be in the wrong field. 

Rounak Sudan  18:09  
Yeah. I think other countries also do that. But yeah, with here, I've definitely experienced that. 

Evan Franulovich  18:16  
Cool. 

Rounak Sudan  18:17  
The change in courses or subjects. 

Evan Franulovich  18:20  
Yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  18:20  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  18:22  
Nice. So you are, you're here, you're taking accounting classes, you're getting ready to graduate. Where do you want to go after you're done here? Do you have a school that you're going to transfer to in mind? 

Rounak Sudan  18:35  
I've been wrestling for a little bit with that decision, because I was wondering if I should go back to Dubai, or if I should stay here and complete my bachelors. Eventually, this actually was a recent decision that I made. I'm gonna go back to Dubai. 

Evan Franulovich  18:52  
Cool. 

Rounak Sudan  18:53  
Honestly. The reason for that is Seattle is a great place, and I feel like technologically, it's  very advanced, and it's good for people who love to code, who run into computer science, and I'm interested in that. It's a hobby of mine, but it's not what I'm pursuing, and what I'm pursuing is more towards business. 

Evan Franulovich  19:18  
Yes. 

Rounak Sudan  19:18  
And I feel there's just a personal opinion. 

Evan Franulovich  19:21  
Sure. 

Rounak Sudan  19:21  
I feel that I can get better business opportunities back home in Dubai. 

Evan Franulovich  19:25  
Fair enough. 

Rounak Sudan  19:27  
And I feel like Dubai is a very business focused country. 

Evan Franulovich  19:32  
Right, right. 

Rounak Sudan  19:32  
Which I love. 

Evan Franulovich  19:33  
That is true. 

Rounak Sudan  19:34  
So I'm gonna go back there and probably finish my bachelor's. 

Evan Franulovich  19:37  
Very cool. No, no, that's great. The thing I love about interviewing students is everybody has different pathways of doing what they're going to do. And yeah, and if you find going back to Dubai, that's very cool. I'm thrilled that you came to Seattle Colleges so that you can get a good start, your two years here. It's a great experience that you'll always be able to have. Will your credits that you got here transfer back to the UAE easily? 

Rounak Sudan  19:37  
There are American universities in the UAE, so they do take American credits. 

Evan Franulovich  20:10  
Perfect. 

Rounak Sudan  20:10  
Hopefully it'll be a smooth transition over to that. 

Evan Franulovich  20:14  
Yeah. Have you talked with transfer advisors, or anybody here about that process? 

Rounak Sudan  20:20  
I've talked to my advisor about it. 

Evan Franulovich  20:22  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  20:23  
I've compiled like, a list of universities, I'm gonna go to them and be like, 'Hey, this is what I got. What do you recommend?' 

Evan Franulovich  20:30  
Right, right. Yeah, that's good. Excellent. So while you're on campus, have you been able to take advantage of clubs or leadership positions or anything like that? 

Rounak Sudan  20:41  
I haven't been able to take advantage of clubs. I was in a few clubs. 

Evan Franulovich  20:46  
Oh, you were?

Rounak Sudan  20:48  
I think there was the weightlifting club. I was there for a small amount of time. 

Evan Franulovich  20:53  
I've seen you down in the weight room. 

Rounak Sudan  20:55  
I go there, not with the whole club. I'm not in the club anymore. 

Evan Franulovich  20:59  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  21:00  
I still train, I still go to the gym. I think I was in the gaming club for a little bit too. 

Evan Franulovich  21:08  
Oh, cool.

Rounak Sudan  21:09  
I was a part of the rock climbing club for a bit. 

Evan Franulovich  21:12  
I didn't know we had one. Is it indoor rock climbing or outdoor rock climbing? 

Rounak Sudan  21:19  
Indoor. 

Evan Franulovich  21:19  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  21:20  
I haven't stayed in any club for too long. 

Evan Franulovich  21:23  
That's okay. It's good to sample things and see. I'm curious, I have people ask me about places to work out, that kind of thing. Can you tell the audience about your experience over at the MAC center the Mitchell Activities Center? 

Rounak Sudan  21:37  
Yeah, it's fantastic. It's a great place to work out. They have a gym, they have a basketball court, they have pool tables, table tennis, and dance room, which can be also used as a martial arts room. 

Evan Franulovich  21:51  
Right. They do yoga in there as well. 

Rounak Sudan  21:53  
They do yoga. I played badminton, volleyball. I played volleyball with the volleyball team. That was fun. 

Evan Franulovich  22:00  
Oh, you did? 

Rounak Sudan  22:00  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:01  
Did you guys go and compete against anybody? 

Rounak Sudan  22:03  
I wasn't in the team. 

Evan Franulovich  22:04  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  22:05  
I don't know about the team. 

Evan Franulovich  22:07  
Sure, sure. 

Rounak Sudan  22:07  
I did play with them, nice for like, a practice session. And I go to the gym every day. It's good. 

Evan Franulovich  22:14  
No, I was glad you said that. I go to the gym fairly often, and I think the weight room is great. 

Rounak Sudan  22:21  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:21  
That's good size. There's a lot of different options. 

Rounak Sudan  22:24  
There's a squash court as well. 

Evan Franulovich  22:26  
That's true. I forgot about that. 

Rounak Sudan  22:27  
I play squash.

Evan Franulovich  22:30  
Are you finding other students who also play squash? 

Rounak Sudan  22:33  
Squash?

Evan Franulovich  22:33  
Yeah? Is it easy to find them? 

Rounak Sudan  22:35  
I haven't found anyone that play squash. 

Evan Franulovich  22:38  
Huh?!

Rounak Sudan  22:38  
So I kind of have to practice against the wall. 

Evan Franulovich  22:43  
Just by yourself? 

Rounak Sudan  22:44  
Yeah, which is honestly not that bad. 

Evan Franulovich  22:46  
Yeah, no, that's not bad, but it is fun to play against someone. 

Rounak Sudan  22:49  
It would be, but no one here knows how to play squash.

Evan Franulovich  22:53  
I know how to play squash. 

Rounak Sudan  22:54  
We can play some. 

Evan Franulovich  22:56  
You know, when I was in the Air Force, they had a beautiful activity center there as well. And when we would go, the racquetball courts were always being used, but the squash court was never being used because nobody knew how to play squash. So my buddy and I, we got a book, because there was no internet at the time. I'm old. We looked up the rules for squash and just taught ourselves how to play, and then it was never a problem getting on the squash court. It's cool. 

Rounak Sudan  23:26  
Wow. 

Evan Franulovich  23:26  
It's a great sport. I like squash because the ball is a little bit dead, so when you hit it...i mean, it's very fast, but it's not like a raga ball, where it just bounces everywhere. It's a little bit more...

Rounak Sudan  23:40  
You need to warm it up... 

Evan Franulovich  23:41  
Yes. 

Rounak Sudan  23:42  
...to make it bounce a little more, yeah, but it doesn't bounce at all. Like, around doesn't bounce that much. Yeah, but it's fun.

Evan Franulovich  23:48  
 It's really cool. 

Rounak Sudan  23:50  
I like the the reach you get in it.

Evan Franulovich  23:55  
Yeah, because the rackets are a little bit longer. Have you ever competed? 

Rounak Sudan  23:59  
No, but I used to play a lot. 

Evan Franulovich  24:02  
Yeah, yeah. We've got some we've got some really cool things at the Mitchell Activity Center, check it out. As a student, you get it as part of your tuition fees, so you can just take your card over and swipe in and you're good to go. Very cool. Any scholarships you were able to get while you were here?

Rounak Sudan  24:22  
The Project Baldwin. Project Baldwin was a scholarship that helped me out. 

Evan Franulovich  24:29  
I forget that they had a scholarship. Tell us about your application and your award. How much did you get? 

Rounak Sudan  24:36  
It's really good. It's run by a person called Eustace, he's very easy going. He explains everything to you in a very easy to understand way. And I get an amount that they pay for my fees, which is $1400. 

Evan Franulovich  25:00  
That's great. 

Rounak Sudan  25:00  
Which is pretty helpful. 

Evan Franulovich  25:02  
Yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  25:03  
And I think it's for students of color. Yeah, it's really beneficial. 

Evan Franulovich  25:10  
Sure. I think they're pretty welcoming of everybody over there. I mean, I know it's project Baldwin is more for students of color, but I've seen everybody in there. 

Rounak Sudan  25:20  
Yeah, it's welcoming for anyone. 

Evan Franulovich  25:22  
It's just right across the hall down here. 

Rounak Sudan  25:23  
Yeah, yeah. It's very easy to understand. Yeah, not hard.

Evan Franulovich  25:30  
The other thing, good thing about Project Baldwin is, I think they hire student workers sometimes don't they? 

Rounak Sudan  25:36  
I'm not 100% sure of that. 

Evan Franulovich  25:38  
So if you're looking for work on campus, I think you could go and check in with them, and if they don't hire they know people who do. 

Rounak Sudan  25:44  
But the MAC does as well. 

Evan Franulovich  25:45  
Yes, that's true. 

Rounak Sudan  25:46  
The MAC hires quite a few students. 

Evan Franulovich  25:48  
Did you work there? 

Rounak Sudan  25:49  
I applied. 

Evan Franulovich  25:50  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  25:50  
I didn't get the job. 

Evan Franulovich  25:52  
Did you apply anywhere else? 

Rounak Sudan  25:53  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  25:54  
And you were able to secure student employment?

Rounak Sudan  25:57  
No, I applied in the Student Leadership building. 

Evan Franulovich  26:00  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  26:01  
A few quarters back, but didn't get it. 

Evan Franulovich  26:04  
Didn't work out. 

Rounak Sudan  26:04  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:05  
Yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  26:05  
It's okay. Rejection is a part of process.

Evan Franulovich  26:09  
That's right. We like it when we are able to find you guys find work. 

Rounak Sudan  26:13  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:14  
So if you're looking for work on campus, we have the district office down the street. I don't know if you look there or not, but sometimes they have jobs. We have each of the three campuses, so you could be a student at Central but also find work at the North Campus, or vice versa. So yeah, if you ask around pretty regularly, people will kind of point in the right direction sometimes. 

Rounak Sudan  26:37  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:38  
Did you apply for the Foundation Scholarship?

Rounak Sudan  26:41  
I have not. I've heard of it. 

Evan Franulovich  26:42  
Yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  26:43  
But I have not applied for it yet. I still need to look into that more.

Evan Franulovich  26:48  
So the Foundation Scholarship is going to close. It's open for applications right now, but it closes mid March, and since it looks like you're graduating, it wouldn't make any sense for you to apply at this point. 

Rounak Sudan  26:58  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:59  
But that's too bad, every January it opens up, and we encourage our students to apply, because half the people who apply get the award. It's a good deal. 

Rounak Sudan  27:08  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  27:09  
All right. Will the schools in the UAE, if you transfer that from here, do they offer like transfer scholarships? 

Rounak Sudan  27:17  
I don't know, but when I started my University in Dubai. They did give me a scholarship. It was based on the school I went to. 

Evan Franulovich  27:26  
Right, right. 

Rounak Sudan  27:27  
Because the school that I graduated from was a very well known in the country.

Evan Franulovich  27:33  
Well, when you're doing your research, make sure you ask the schools that you're talking to, if they offer a transfer scholarship, let them know you went to school here. 

Rounak Sudan  27:33  
I have sent them emails. 

Evan Franulovich  27:37  
Cool. That's good. Hopefully they'll be able to help you out, because I know some can be quite generous. 

Rounak Sudan  27:50  
Yeah, they definitely can. 

Evan Franulovich  27:51  
Is your GPA pretty good? 

Rounak Sudan  27:52  
My GPA is.

Evan Franulovich  27:54  
That'll help for sure. Well, really cool. So what do you do for fun then? Just hang around Seattle?

Rounak Sudan  28:02  
Well, ever since I've come here, there's been a change in things I do because of the environment. You know, it's really different. It's not as hot. 

Evan Franulovich  28:13  
That's true. 

Rounak Sudan  28:13  
It's usually not as humid, but it's a good thing. There's also it's fair share of downsides. Because of the rain, I don't like going out in the rain. It's just not my thing. So I prefer to stay in whenever it's raining, unless I have to go to the gym. But otherwise, for fun, I hang out with my friends, I play sports sometimes. I'll do maybe voiceovers every now and then.

Evan Franulovich  28:46  
What?! 

Rounak Sudan  28:46  
Not famous or anything. Just here and there for fun. 

Evan Franulovich  28:51  
Commercials or...? 

Rounak Sudan  28:52  
No, I did a commercial. When I was in internship, I voiced over for the company. 

Evan Franulovich  28:58  
That's cool. 

Rounak Sudan  28:59  
For one of their ads, but I just do it for fun.

Evan Franulovich  29:02  
That's great. 

Rounak Sudan  29:03  
I would love to do it more often. 

Evan Franulovich  29:07  
Right. 

Rounak Sudan  29:08  
Maybe make something out of it, if I could.

Evan Franulovich  29:10  
Absolutely. Get an agent and see if they can hook you up with some work. 

Rounak Sudan  29:14  
Maybe. 

Evan Franulovich  29:16  
Is there a community of filmmakers, digital content creators in Dubai, that where you could find that kind of work?

Rounak Sudan  29:26  
I don't know of any. You could find that work, you definitely could find it if you did your research. 

Evan Franulovich  29:33  
I would think so. 

Rounak Sudan  29:34  
Yeah, but I just haven't researched it.

Evan Franulovich  29:38  
Fair enough. Well, I encourage you, because A, you got a great voice. and B, if you're interested doing that, and you have a little experience that goes a long way. 

Rounak Sudan  29:38  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  29:38  
That's cool. I like that. What about being in front of a camera, interested in that?

Rounak Sudan  29:53  
I don't have a problem with that. I do acting as a hobby as well. 

Evan Franulovich  30:00  
Oh, cool. 

Rounak Sudan  30:00  
Yeah. I'm not very fan of it, but I do it every now and then. Also a reason why I took the drama class. I don't have a problem being in front of the camera. 

Evan Franulovich  30:09  
There you go. So maybe someday you'll see him on the big screen. You just never know.  Maybe you can do accounting or financial work for film productions. They're always looking for good people. 

Rounak Sudan  30:23  
Never know. 

Evan Franulovich  30:24  
You never know. 

Rounak Sudan  30:25  
I guess let's find out in a few years. 

Evan Franulovich  30:27  
Trivia Time. So the trivia time is part of the show where we ask you five questions, it's just for fun. So if you get any wrong, don't worry. Don't cry yourself to sleep tonight. Not a big deal. All right. Question number one: You are in the state of Washington, Seattle's in the state of Washington. What country is directly north of Washington? 

Rounak Sudan  30:57  
Canada. 

Evan Franulovich  30:58  
Yes, it's Canada. Super easy. All right, very good. This one's a little more challenging. Directly to the south of Washington Is another US state. What is the name of the state directly to the south of Washington? 

Rounak Sudan  31:12  
California. 

Evan Franulovich  31:13  
Well, it is to the south. But what's the first one before California? There's one in between Washington and California. It's hard. This is a hard one. 

Rounak Sudan  31:24  
Not 100% sure. 

Evan Franulovich  31:26  
Starts with an O. 

Rounak Sudan  31:28  
Oregon?

Evan Franulovich  31:28  
Yes! It's Oregon. Nice job! All right. Question number three: If you choose, after your first two years, you could stay and work for up to a year in your field of study. That work is known as what?

Rounak Sudan  31:52  
I think I know what it's called in the short form. 

Evan Franulovich  31:54  
Yeah, go ahead. 

Rounak Sudan  31:55  
OTP?

Evan Franulovich  31:56  
OPT. That's right, good job. We're gonna give that to you. Yeah, you can stay and do a year of OPT. Very cool. Did you consider that at all? 

Rounak Sudan  32:05  
I have. But since I'm going back to Dubai, I'll just go back. 

Evan Franulovich  32:09  
Cool. Yeah. And if you stay, if you do end up staying, rather than going back, and you get your bachelor's degree in the US, you can also do OPT after you get your bachelor's degree. So that's one of the benefits of starting at a community college. Two years, do a year of OPT. Another two years, do another year of OPT. Question number four: What is the name of the largest mountain to the south east of us in the state of Washington? 

Rounak Sudan  32:35  
Mount Rainier.

Evan Franulovich  32:43  
Yes, it's Mount Rainier. You're doing great. Nice job. 

Rounak Sudan  32:48  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  32:48  
All right. Last question, this is the hardest one. What was the most recent movie that you saw in the theater?

Rounak Sudan  33:00  
I can't remember. It was a horror movie. 

Evan Franulovich  33:04  
Oh. 

Rounak Sudan  33:05  
I am not into horror a whole lot. I watched it with a friend. She wanted to watch it, so it starts with an H. I don't know if it was called 'Hector' or started with something. 

Evan Franulovich  33:21  
'Heretic.'

Rounak Sudan  33:22  
Yes!

Evan Franulovich  33:23  
What'd you think?

Rounak Sudan  33:25  
'Heretic.' It was interesting. I wouldn't call it horror, but I would definitely call it a thriller. 

Evan Franulovich  33:31  
Definitely a psychological thriller. 

Rounak Sudan  33:32  
Yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  33:34  
Kind of a funky movie. I liked it a lot. 

Rounak Sudan  33:36  
It was crazy.

Evan Franulovich  33:36  
Yeah, it was really crazy. And the lead actor did, what's his name? Hugh Grant. He did a great job. 

Rounak Sudan  33:46  
Oh, he did. He definitely did. 

Evan Franulovich  33:48  
Yeah.

Rounak Sudan  33:50  
Some of the scenes though, I was like, wow. 

Evan Franulovich  33:52  
Wow, that's right. Yeah, very strange. Well, that's cool. That's a good movie. Nice job! All right. Well, you're on the wall of fame, man. That's really great. Good job! We only do a couple things now left in the in the show. So you're in the UAE, but your first language really is kind of English. Yeah?

Rounak Sudan  33:54  
Yeah, I would say so. The language I speak best is English. 

Evan Franulovich  34:20  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  34:22  
My first language, or my mother tongue, would be Hindi... 

Evan Franulovich  34:24  
Hindi. 

Rounak Sudan  34:25  
That's the language I speak at I speak at home.

Evan Franulovich  34:29  
Okay. Oh, so when you're talking to your mom?

Rounak Sudan  34:31  
It's like a mix of English and Hindi. 

Evan Franulovich  34:33  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  34:35  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  34:36  
Well, we always ask our student guests to say a few words in their first language. So, I mean, maybe Hindi isn't your strongest or your first language, but you do speak it at home. Do you mind saying 10-15 seconds worth of Hindi? And it can be whatever you want. Words of encouragement, or saying hi to your mom. We know that today is your mom's...

Rounak Sudan  34:57  
It's my mom's birthday. 

Evan Franulovich  34:58  
Happy birthday mom! 

Rounak Sudan  35:00  
Happy birthday.

Evan Franulovich  35:01  
So whatever you want to say. 

Rounak Sudan  35:04  
*Rounak's message in Hindi*

Evan Franulovich  35:06  
Cool. 

Rounak Sudan  35:08  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  35:27  
Yeah. You know, when I was in Dubai, I heard a lot of other languages other than Arabic or English, while I'm there. There's people from all over South Asia that live there. I met Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis, I mean, just a whole group of people. So it's a very international community. 

Rounak Sudan  35:47  
Very diverse, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  35:48  
Very cool. Well, the final question now, you've been here almost two years, you're getting ready to graduate and head back. You have a lot of experience, a lot of wisdom probably to share. What would you tell students that are back in the region, could be anywhere in the in the Gulf Coast, what kind of wisdom would you share with them, or advice?

Rounak Sudan  36:11  
I would share that it's a great place like the Gulf of the Middle East, it's amazing. But I think it's important to get out more, because I learned a lot when I left Dubai. I learned a lot about like experiences, in terms of experiences, personal growth, accountability, communication, independence. It's really important, especially in the world, the way the world is moving now, and I feel like that is a very useful skills to have. So if you get the opportunity, I would say, definitely travel, wherever you can. And this is not just for people in the Middle East it's for everyone around the world. I feel like it would really benefit you. So coming to Seattle, I was presented with a lot of opportunities that I took that would eventually help me later in life. And, yeah, I think they're gonna pay off. 

Evan Franulovich  37:13  
Cool!

Rounak Sudan  37:16  
If you two ever have the opportunity, I would say take it.

Evan Franulovich  37:18  
That's a good advice. I spent a year in Belgium, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to live and work and study overseas. You meet so many great people, you network with a lot of people. You experience things that you never thought were possible, which is good. How has your culinary experience been here in the US? Eating, how's it been for you? 

Rounak Sudan  37:42  
I don't eat outside much, not often. 

Evan Franulovich  37:46  
Okay. 

Rounak Sudan  37:46  
I do cook for myself a lot. 

Evan Franulovich  37:48  
Oh, cool. 

Rounak Sudan  37:48  
Mainly Indian food. 

Evan Franulovich  37:48  
Yeah, yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  37:53  
Yeah, I had to learn a lot before I left. 

Evan Franulovich  37:56  
Sure. 

Rounak Sudan  37:56  
I had to take notes on how to make certain dishes. 

Evan Franulovich  38:00  
Right. 

Rounak Sudan  38:01  
When I go back to Dubai, I eat what I like. 

Evan Franulovich  38:05  
Sure. 

Rounak Sudan  38:05  
And when I come back, it's hard to replicate. 

Evan Franulovich  38:08  
Yeah, yeah. 

Rounak Sudan  38:09  
But yeah, when I cook Indian food, the aroma definitely fills the room. The smell of the spices, the fragrance. 

Evan Franulovich  38:18  
It's wonderful. 

Rounak Sudan  38:20  
Yeah, it's good.

Evan Franulovich  38:22  
Yeah, I had a roommate when I lived in China. One of my roommates was from India, and he would cook often, and his goal was to try to make me cry. So he kept adding more and more spices. He said, 'I'm gonna make it more spicy for you.' And he did a pretty good job, but he never made me cry. It was very hot. Are you a vegetarian?

Rounak Sudan  38:45  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  38:45  
Okay, he was a vegetarian. 

Rounak Sudan  38:48  
I eat all kinds of things. 

Evan Franulovich  38:49  
Right on. Cool. Well, thanks so much for coming on to the show cool. I could talk to you for another hour. Easy, no problem. You have so many cool experiences. Appreciate your sharing your wisdom with everybody. Good luck to you as you go back as... 

Rounak Sudan  39:03  
Thank you so much. 

Evan Franulovich  39:03  
...you continue your educational journey. 

Rounak Sudan  39:05  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  39:06  
It's awesome. You're gonna do big things. You guys don't forget 'Conversations with!' Every Wednesday here on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts. We interview students, staff, faculty, people all over so we can help you understand the  international educational journey. Let us know in the comment section. If you have any questions, we try to get back to you. Once again, thanks. 

Rounak Sudan  39:35  
Thank you so much. 

Evan Franulovich  39:36  
Everybody don't forget to like, subscribe and share. Please have a great day. Bye bye! 

Evan Franulovich  39:44  
'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.