When Keshav Daga and Kavil Jain chose to pursue master’s degrees in the United States, they acknowledged feeling a bit of trepidation.
Certainly, there were challenges associated with earning an advanced degree, but doing it 8,000 miles from their homes in India, in unfamiliar surroundings and immersed in a culture different than their own, created additional angst.
But thanks to the support they’d received from international students who had walked the path before them, the transition, while still tricky at times, became seamless.
And Daga and Jain, in turn, decided to harness the kindness they received and pay it forward for international students who are considering Cal State Fullerton for their higher education.
Daga and Jain began their studies at CSUF in Spring 2023 and completed their master’s degrees in December 2024.
Their story begins in 2020.
Daga and Jain, close friends who had known each other since high school, had earned bachelor’s degrees at universities in India and were working in the IT field.
When they decided to pursue master’s degrees in computer science, they wanted to further their studies at a university in the U.S.
“We were basically browsing on what were the best universities in California,” Daga said. “We always wanted to come to California.”
From their research, the longtime friends discovered that CSUF not only offers a fine computer science program but that the Orange County university prides itself on inclusivity, welcoming learners from all backgrounds.
Before journeying halfway around the world, the pair went to LinkedIn to connect with other international students who attended CSUF.
From making these connections, Jain and Daga felt more at ease about what to expect at an American university.
This support gave them the confidence to apply.
Still, there were some nuanced differences to navigate.
“Even for booking an apartment, we didn’t know that we had to pay with a money order,” Daga said. “Since we were back in India, how can we pay through a money order? Everything, a lot of people, they helped us, supported us; we are still grateful to them.”
So grateful that once they arrived at CSUF, they launched initiatives designed to make the transition to a U.S university easier for future international students back home.
Through the support from the International Students and Scholars Office and their own social media engagement, they started pre-arrival Zoom sessions for incoming students.
“And it was really helpful for them,” Jain said. We got great support from all our friends here. We had 60-70 students in our first call.
Because of their popularity, the Zoom sessions have become an official International Student Services event held every semester for incoming international students.
“People from similar culture, similar background, when they come here, most of them face similar issues, I would say,” Kavil said.” So people who have already been here, our seniors for example, they have faced those issues, they know the solutions to most of them. So, they are the best ones to guide the new students who are coming here.”
Building on the success of the pre-arrival Zoom sessions, Jain and Daga then revived CSUF’s International Friendship Club.
The club connects new international students with current students, helping them acclimate to American culture through a variety of activities.
They kept the momentum going, and in spring 2024, Daga and Jain launched the Hindu Yuva Club to celebrate popular festivals from their homeland here in the U.S.
The club hosted the Hindu festival known as Holi, which celebrates the arrival of spring.
Holi drew 200 students to the intramural field.
The Hindu Yuva Club garnered the Emerging Organization Award from Student Life and Leadership.
Daga and Jain were drawn to running for campus leadership positions.
In spring 2024, both were elected to the Associated Students Inc. board of directors for the College of Engineering and Computer Science and began their roles that fall.
Jain and Daga will walk in the graduation ceremony after the spring 2025 semester.
In the meantime, both are working in IT positions in Orange County.
But they are uncertain about their future and whether they will stay in the U.S. or return to India.
“We are still not sure on that,” Daga said. “We’ll be working for a while, then we’ll figure out whether we are settling here or going back. We’re so attached to our family, and it feels like in the long term, we have to live with them. At some point of time, yeah, we’ll go back.”
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