We love to learn from our alumni and this Global Alumni Engagement blog features Penn State’s remarkable global alumni on a weekly basis. This week we forward an interview of Manasi Sathe ’18 for our weekly Global Alumni Spotlight column.

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Manasi Sathe was born in India and grew up in America. She graduated in May 2018 from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree and received the Honors Mu Kappa Tau scholarship for academic excellence. She has also received Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Patient Benefactor Award / Scholarship, and Global Ambassador Leadership Award. Currently, she is our Ph.D. Student and graduate assistant in department of Public Affairs (specialization in healthcare administration). 

What did you think of the campus and extracurricular activities?

Manasi: I graduated in May 2018 from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree and received the Honors Mu Kappa Tau scholarship for academic excellence. Due to my passion for the healthcare field, I completed the Master of Health Administration degree from Penn State University in December 2019 and achieved the GPA of 4.0. In addition, I received the “Outstanding Graduate Student Award” for serving as the class valedictorian and maintaining a high academic record. Due to academic success and heavy involvement in community service, I also received the honor of being invited to the 2019 Commencement Ceremony and was provided a recommendation letter from the Chancellor of Penn State. Extra curricular gives us the courage to step out of the comfort zone and become an all rounded person, so I am grateful to Penn State for the  unique opportunities. 

Tell us about a Penn State moment that you carry with you now as a graduate/professional.

Manasi: I had the honor of completing the Administrative Graduate Internship at Hershey Medical Center, under the guidance of the dean of the hospital, Barbara Bernini, who taught me many valuable lessons that will serve as an asset in the future career. I got the chance to participate in senior management level meetings and visit various departments. The comprehensive project related to patient relations, patient-flow studies and efficiency analysis inspired me, as I recognized the amount of positive impact I will make on lives of patients, as a future healthcare practitioner. Other than Hershey medical center, I am an active volunteer at the Children’s Hospital and serves as the annual coordinator for “Dance for Heart Day”, which is a fundraiser event to encourage people to exercise and promote a healthy lifestyle. Also, as a member of Penn state THON committee, I had the chance to lead fundraiser events and work towards the cause of raising money for children with pediatric cancer. This made me realize how much I love to serve people and decided to further my education in the health administration field by pursing a doctorate degree.

What makes you proud to be a Penn Stater? / What made Penn State stand out as the place you wanted to attend college?

Manasi: The aspect of diversity is a unique environment at Penn State, which I thoroughly enjoyed as a student. I joined the Penn state Global Ambassador Program for five years, whose objective is to spread awareness about cultural diversity on campus and maintain an inclusive environment. While working at the diversity office, I got the opportunity to coordinate and emcee many cultural programs on college campus, such as world festival and international panel discussion, which helped many international students succeed academically. One of the main academic events I organized was the advisor training session, in which I delivered cultural etiquettes and stereotypes workshop to Penn State advisors and professors. To recognize the efforts to transform the college into an inclusive learning environment, I was fortunate to receive the 2018 Penn State Community Service and Leadership Award from the Chancellor. I believes that the extra curricular on the Penn State campus will help students during work while accepting leadership roles, understanding the various perspectives, and communicating effectively with diverse staff members.

I was also involved in leadership positions such as National Honors Leadership Society and Mu Kappa Tau, an Honors business society that enhances public speaking and leadership skills, while delivering speeches at seminars in front of huge crowds. I was also selected to compete at Emory University in Atlanta, for a Model UN political debate competition and won second place. All the extracurricular activities have taught me the value of working hard in a competitive environment, while understanding people from diverse cultural backgrounds. I am also the secretary of PADSO, public affairs doctoral student organization, where my role focuses on providing resources for Ph. D. students to facilitate the educational journey. I am a professionally trained dancer in the Indian classical form, known as Kathak. Despite being raised in America, I have always tried to maintain the roots of my heritage and preserve the essence of my cultural roots by competing in many dance events in the community or performing in prestigious events such as AICPA gala, where I was invited as a guest to perform a dance to showcase Indian culture in front of the governor Tom Wolf at the capitol building.

What are your two pieces of advice to our current students at Penn State?

Manasi: My advices to students are to get involved in the Global Programs and be willing to step out of the comfort zone, as this can lead to new discoveries and lifelong memories. The global programs are a great tool which provide access to the right resources and facilities that can enhance your academic journey and teach you how to balance extra curricular. The biggest advantage of this program is it allows students to embrace their cultural identity and share their experiences with other students, which serves as an effective form of global exchange of knowledge. This program fosters an inclusive environment, close knit connections with the community and many cultural festivals or academic workshops, such as the international student panel discussion. Students will feel as if they are ready to achieve their goals in the professional and personal aspects, which they would not have felt capable of accomplishing before they went through this positive learning experience of joining the global programs at Penn State. Dr. Anna Marshal is an amazing mentor and has provided guidance to over 700 international students from 56 countries on Penn State campus, which has allowed them to achieve academic success and be prepared for the global job market.