Nisha Pathak’s gift for communicating carried her to pageant crowns, Trine

Nisha Pathak says she was a “talkative child from a very little age.”

Her knack for communication has carried her from Nepal to the stage of international beauty pageants and now to completing a master’s degree at Trine University.

Nisha visited Trine’s Angola, Indiana, campus for the first time in May 2023 to receive her Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree at Commencement.

Three E’s

Nisha had already earned an MBA but was looking for something in a different field. A friend recommended Trine University and connected her with Srijana Sharma, director of international graduate admission.

“I wanted a course that was feasible for me,” she said.

Nisha took classes at Trine’s Phoenix education center. She was pleasantly surprised at the personal attention she received throughout the program.

“Trine was perfect for me because you’re provided with assignments, you’re provided with notes and you’re your own boss,” she said. “You do whatever you want and if you don’t understand a part, you can contact your professor.”

She already has received several job offers since completing the program. Her career path to this point has included working as a marketing manager, reality show host, disc jockey and voiceover artist.

 “I’ve always been directed by three E’s in my life, which are exploring, experimenting and experiencing,” she said. “Whenever I get into new things I like to explore, I love to experiment and then I experience.”

Born for the stage

As a child, she would pretend she was a queen whenever she would see brides or gowns. She said those fantasies made her realize she wanted to be on stage.

Over time, she learned that pageants gave her a platform for spreading awareness on different issues. Her Instagram account at @me.nishapathak today boasts more than 100,000 followers.

“I started with an orphanage, and that’s what led me to a pageant, because as a normal girl no one would help me on that,” she said. “As a beauty queen, everybody helped me.”

She prepared for pageants by watching other beauty queens and speakers she admired. She went on to represent her nation in pageants including Miss Global International, Miss Heritage International, Miss Culture World International and Miss Grand International.

Most recently, she traveled to Egypt as Miss Intercontinental Nepal in 2021, one of 73 pageant contestants.

“A pageant isn’t just about beauty; it has a lot of different aspects,” she said. “Love and believing in yourself made me who I am and allowed me to accomplish what I did, and I’ll continue doing that for the rest of my life.”

More Nepalese students

Now that she has completed her degree and been to Trine’s Angola campus, Nisha plans to encourage other students from Nepal to attend the university, both its hybrid international and in-person programs.

“I never expected the campus would turn out to be this huge,” she said. “I want to see Nepalese faces at this university because it’s beautiful. I want every Nepalese student to experience the value I found at Trine University.”

She hopes to break into media in the United States.

“I am looking for something that will help me to widen my thoughts and horizons,” she said. “I’ll start from the ground floor and see what it leads to.”