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STUDENT AWARD RECIPIENTS WITH THE MUHAREB FAMILY
S BISWAS WITH FELLOW GRAD STUDENTS
DR. BUSH SAYS BISWAS IS A TALENTED GRADUATE STUDENT DOING IMPORTANT WORK IN THE LAB.
Eventually, Biswas got her job back and was able to save money, renewing a long-held hope of attending an American university. “I am someone who doesn’t give up easily. I like to take my chanc- es.” Biswas chose Fresno State because of its affordable fees and because of the opportunity to do research with Bush. She also received a grant funded by the Muhareb family and coordinated through Continuing and Global Education’s International Office, which helped cover her travel expenses.
Bush says Biswas is a talented graduate student doing important work in the lab. Her master’s degree project focuses on a gene that’s an indicator of early-stage pancreatic cancer – vital research that could save lives. “Supporting students like Sonali means that I want them to succeed,” Bush says. “I look at it as doing what I can to facilitate my team in the research lab so they have the most positive and enriching experience possible at Fresno State.”
Bush again showed that support this spring when Biswas was involved in a car accident near Fresno. She was with friends on the way to a hike when another car crashed into their vehicle, leaving Biswas with a badly fractured pelvis. She spent nearly one month in the hospital, first in a trauma unit and then in a rehabilitation unit where she had to work to regain her mobility. Her associates at Fresno State made a terrible time a little less ter- rible. Bush visited her in the hospital, and other graduate students taught the undergraduate classes assigned to Biswas. While in rehabilitation, she even made a presentation via Zoom for one of her graduate classes. “I didn’t want my GPA to fall” – it was a perfect 4.0 after her first semester.
Biswas expects to finish her master’s degree in spring 2023, and then possibly pursue a doctorate degree or work in an American research lab before eventually returning to India. No matter where she goes, there’ll be no regrets about coming to Fresno State. “I’ve seen a lot of hard times in my life. But I’m sure my time here – and my education here – are going to counter some of the hard times I had before coming to the United States.”
BISWAS SITTING IN CAFE IN LUCKNOW, INDIA
ACCESS - The Division of Continuing and Global Education 5