Kevin Coriolan | News Editor

Ravi Kumar, a Buena Vista University (BVU) alumnus, returned to campus for a four-day stay. During this time, he interacted with classes, caught up with professors, and offered advice during a scholarly presentation.

Kumar works for the World Bank as a social media specialist. The World Bank is an international organization that loans money to people around the world. Most of these countries are developing countries like Kumar’s homeland of Nepal.

As a new student in 2007, Kumar came not knowing much English and with a pre-med plan. He graduated with a media studies and political science double major. His homecoming brought inspiration to students on what to do during their time on campus.

“Try to make really good relations with professors. Go out, get good internships, do some ambitious projects when you’re on campus. Create maybe a new venture, and start-ups, and fail, and learn from it. And that will help you in the real world,” Kumar said.

The Academic and Cultural Events Series (ACES) event that Kumar hosted brought in more students than seats available. Titled “What happens when young people meet technology?” was a showcase of Kumar’s journey from Nepal to Washington D.C.

While a BVU student, Kumar founded Green Beaver which was an organization looking to provide environmental awareness for the campus community. He also founded Grassroots Movement in Nepal (GMIN) which has constructed schools and empowered young girls in Nepal through collaborations across the United States and funding provided to educators in the southeastern country.

“I want all of us to take risks, be relentless, and push ourselves to be excellent in whatever you’re doing,” Kumar said.

Video by Zach Schmidt