USF World News

Provost enjoys dinner with prominent USF alumni in Hyderabad

Many of USF’s international student alumni living and working in India are based in and around the city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad is the capital of southern India's Telangana state and is a major center for technology and financial industries. USF Provost Mohapatra and USF World Vice President Kiki Caruson had the good fortune of meeting with a group of USF alumni last October 2023 during their visit to India.  Alumni were hosted for dinner at the TC Kohenur Hotel, and despite a 20-year span of graduation years, between 1995-2015, animated conversations about career journeys and nostalgia for the USF years made for a memorable evening. Alumus, S.V. Sudhirkashyap even surprised the group when he presented his perfectly preserved dorm key – a priceless memento.

Last year, India surpassed China to become the largest source of international students currently studying in the U.S. according to the Open Doors Report, published by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This trend is true for enrollment at USF over the last several years. Statistics show most Indian students hail from Hyderabad and other cities in the southern states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh account for 12.5% of all Indian students seeking an education overseas.  

USF Alumni shared the following observations about the dinner event: 

“It was a wonderful event and brought back some cherished memories of university life,” said S. V “Sudhir” Sudhirkashyap (1995), Principal Engineer at Verizon. Lajpat Roy (2005), added: “It is always a warm feeling to connect with other USF alumni.”  Lajpat, who was with Microsoft for several years before starting EduZ Services Private Limited in Dubai and Hyderabad, is a regular at events held in India for future students heading to USF. 

Biostatistician Consultant Sampath Kalluri (2010), who has guided and inspired several students to attend USF, said he had a “great time” and was delighted at the opportunity to meet so many alumni from his city. 

Anita Thippaiah (2008), Associate Professor of Public Health at the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Hyderabad, said: “It was my first get-together with the USF alumni in India and the group here is simply great.” 

For Venkateswara (Venkat) Rao Mudunuru (2014), Principal Biostatistician at Novartis, and Sampath, the dinner was like “coming home.” 

In a joint message to USF World, they noted: “We left USF with a heavy heart, thinking ‘this is it,’…but we were wrong. Our bond with USF gained life after joining USF Network India. The dinner with the provost was a great opportunity to reconnect.”