Naren Kalburgi Vishwanath knew he needed to pursue higher education abroad in order to achieve a life of comfort and success. With this goal in mind, 25-year-old Naren set out from his home in Bengaluru, India to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at San Francisco State University. Naren immigrated to the United States with an F1 student visa, and he experienced a surprisingly smooth immigration process, which he believes was because his documents were in order. But he knows others have not been as lucky and frequently fall victim to the complicated, bureaucratic process at the U.S. Embassy in India. 

 

Since Naren moved to the U.S. in January, 2020 he has been managing student life while living with friends in the Bay Area. This past year, Naren has been navigating self-sufficiency in financial and domestic aspects of life, something he never needed to worry about in the past. “It is very difficult to stay away from your family. You feel homesick, and you'll have to be mentally prepared,” he says. “You're miles and miles apart from your house. You have to be alone. You have to survive by yourself, and live up to the standards here.” After living in the U.S. for over a year now, Naren notes that immigrants aren’t treated as well as he had hoped, making it more difficult to achieve the American Dream. Yet, his willingness to manage this new life and his optimism continue unabated. As he says, despite the difficulties, “it's a great challenge.” 

 

Watch Naren’s story below. Click here to read a transcript of Naren’s video interview.