Resilience Took Her Far. SIM Took Her Further.

23 Jul 2025

At just 18, Nusha Dakshyni stepped straight into the workforce after her A-levels. While her peers were preparing for university, she was behind a retail counter, assisting customers and managing orders. This was her first job which started the very day she finished her last paper.

But her early entry into the working world wasn’t by choice. Her household was already facing financial strain, and things got even harder when her loved ones were diagnosed with autoimmune conditions. Nusha’s mother battles rheumatoid arthritis and her sister lives with Crohn’s disease. With her loved ones fighting chronic autoimmune conditions, Nusha put her own dreams aside to support and care for them.

“I guess deep down, I knew I hated entering the workforce so early. I envied my peers who were in school and almost done with their degrees,” she admitted honestly.

Over the next three years, she found work in teaching and curriculum development. It was a life that offered routine and a sense of independence, but it wasn’t the one she had once envisioned for herself. The desire to pursue a degree never abated.
 

A Leap of Faith

On a whim, Nusha applied to the University at Buffalo (UB)’s Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) programme at SIM Global Education. She didn’t even know if she’d qualify. When the acceptance letter arrived, joy quickly turned into panic, how would she afford it?

“I wasn’t someone with unshakable drive,” she said. “I was just trying to survive.” But Nusha’s mother knew better and saw through her facade. She urged her daughter to “just try” and that small push changed everything.

Funding her degree wasn’t easy. Nusha leaned on the generosity of her grandmother, a family friend, and a vital interest-free loan from the Singapore Indian Education Trust (SIET).

“If not for the loan, I would’ve spent my final year juggling even more work,” she shared.

Yet, the financial stress never fully disappeared. Nusha continued to balance her studies with part-time jobs and her ongoing caregiving duties. But what helped her through were the people she met along the way.
 

Professors Who Cared

What got her through wasn’t just perseverance, it was the professors who stood by her and who offered guidance, encouragement, and care beyond the classroom. Nusha credits her SIM-UB professors for helping her thrive under pressure.

One milestone came when she wrote an independent research paper under the mentorship of Professor Schoonover. She was juggling five modules at the time and the paper eventually earned her a spot at the Student Research Showcase. With recommendation letters from Professor Schoonover, Professor Street, and Professor Adelman, that work eventually led to a Master’s programme offer from CUNY.

When family and health issues disrupted her final semester, Professors Kim and Grodek extended support and flexibility that helped her stay afloat.

“I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through those final weeks without them,” she said.

Where Passion Meets Purpose

Beyond the classroom, Nusha was also an artist, writer, and advocate.

To supplement her income, Nusha took on freelance art commissions. Over time, what began as side gigs turned into passion projects with purpose. She designed a magazine for Journey By Lorry that advocates for migrant workers’ rights. And In 2024, her painting was featured in New Naratif’s contribution to the AWID’s Feminist & Queer Liberation showcase in Bangkok, Thailand. That same creative spirit also led her to publish two children’s books which started from a poem she wrote as a gift. Her latest title, I Don’t Like Brown, was featured in local media, at book festivals and was sold on other bookstores and sites.

While Nusha’s creative journey flourished, so did something unexpected, friendship.

“I entered SIM-UB just wanting to get the degree,” she said. “My goal was to study, graduate, and move on.”

She didn’t plan on making friends and kept to herself in her first year. But a class project brought her into a group of five classmates who, little by little, became her support system.

“They always joked I wouldn’t hang out after graduating,” she laughed. “But after our final exam, I invited them to my birthday.”

In the end, Nusha didn’t just leave left with a degree. She left with a community she never thought she’d find.
 

The Quote That Kept Her Going

When asked what carried her through the hardest moments, Nusha points to a quote that has been pinned to her wall since she was 15. It’s from her favourite poet: “Set your life on fire, seek those who fan your flames.”

“For a long time, I thought strength meant doing everything on my own, being independent, keeping people at arm’s length.”

But the past few years have reshaped that belief. Through challenge and community, Nusha learned the quiet power of leaning on others.

“I’ve found my crew to fan my flames,” she said. “I hope you do too.”