Mission: University

As we prepare to enroll our 7th batch of college students, here's a quick look back on a few success stories that you all played a part in making possible. 

Pinky

Pinky is entering her third year of a Bachelor of Liberal Arts. While her college experience hasn’t exactly been thrilling, she does enjoy the peacefulness of her hostel room (which she shares with fellow MU student Khusboo). Still, she often finds herself missing home — especially the farm’s fresh, homemade food (there’s a theme here). She’ll be home for a few weeks before returning to Dehradun for her next semester. Down the road, Pinky hopes to intern as an art teacher at our school — something we’re all looking forward to, as she has real artistic talent and a dream of finding her place in the art world, even if that means teaching.

Rosey

Rosey was by far the easiest to interview; in fact, the real challenge was getting her to stop talking! Through Mission University, Rosey completed a Bachelor of Arts in English over three years, followed by a Bachelor of Education in two years, attending two different universities and gaining lots of experience along the way. Her B.Ed. included three internships at different schools, with her longest placement being six months at Manav Bharti, a well-known local school, where she worked as a nursery teacher. With just one last assignment to submit, she’s basically finished and has already been offered a full-time position at Manav Bharti — such a blessing! Her whole college experience was full of personal growth, involvement in student clubs, and lots of memorable events. She’ll stay at the Mission until the end of the month before officially starting her career.

Job

Job was one of the very first Mission University students. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, focusing on medieval history, studying far from home in Allahabad (around 500 km away!). But Job didn’t stop there. He’s since completed his LLB at Lucknow University and is now applying for an LLM at the prestigious Delhi University. Job’s already completed some impressive internships, including one with the Secretary of the High Court of Allahabad and another with a former Human Rights Commission advocate. We can all see the makings of a great lawyer here, and we’re so proud of the steps he’s taking.

Gordon

Gordon completed his Bachelor of Computer Applications last June. Within a month of graduating, he secured a job in Delhi as a Network and Cloud Engineer for Wipro, an international IT giant with clients like Bank of America, American Airlines, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley. This is serious work — Gordon is the guy these companies call when their servers start misbehaving! Next month marks a full year in the workforce for him. After a lot of reflection, Gordon has decided to return to Mission University to pursue a Master’s in Computer Applications, specializing in AI and machine learning. His amazing sponsors, Lesa and Brian, have committed to covering most of his tuition, though we will be seeking a little extra support to help cover the balance in the coming weeks. Stay tuned if you’d like to be part of that story!

Shane

Shane, Rosey’s younger brother, has always dreamed of becoming a chef, so it wasn’t surprising when he enrolled in a Bachelor of Hotel Management in Catering Technology. But after three years of study (with one year remaining), his interests have shifted toward office management within the hotel industry. He says college has given him loads of confidence and helped him step outside his comfort zone. Shane’s trust that God has the right job waiting for him is inspiring. When asked how he spends his student allowance, he didn’t hesitate: fast food — especially momos from the Tibetan Market in Dehradun. He also enjoys renting scooters and riding up into the Mussoorie hills with friends for a little mountain adventure. Honestly, the thought of Shane zipping around the Himalayas on a Vespa just makes us smile.

Sareena

Sareena is just about to kick off her third year of a BA in Liberal Arts. Every time she comes home to the farm, she beams with happiness; she truly loves being back here. That’s not to say she doesn’t enjoy college, because she really does. In particular, she has a great relationship with all of her teachers — every single one! While there are quite a few Mission girls at her university, Sareena has mostly stuck with her GSAM sisters for friendships. Like so many, she misses the food here the most (can you blame her?). She also shared how much she notices the difference in atmosphere between the Mission and the busy world outside; there's something special about this place. Sareena hopes to intern at Maxton Strong School soon, assisting in sports — which fits her energetic personality perfectly. And while the big city of Dehradun didn’t intimidate her for a second, she does admit that a good portion of her allowance seems to vanish at the local markets… mostly into new clothes. Probably a better investment than Shane’s momos!

Anthea

Anthea has just completed her final exam for her BBA and is now waiting on her results before officially graduating in August! When asked about her college experience, she said it was truly enjoyable and very different from life here on the Mission (though she loved that too). She’s made some great friends, especially one from Uttarakhand, who she expects will be a lifelong friend. During her studies, Anthea completed an internship in the fundraising department of a welfare foundation in Delhi. There, she discovered just how difficult it is to raise funds for an NGO — something Clifton couldn’t help but chuckle at! While her major was digital marketing, Anthea has her heart set on working in HR and will be spending the next month at home while job-hunting, most likely targeting positions in Delhi.

Malika

Malika has just wrapped up her first year studying Hotel Management in Dehradun — the same program Coreena and Chandani completed. She’s loving her coursework, especially front office training and housekeeping, and is excited to begin her industrial hospitality classes next semester. When we asked what she misses most about home, her answer was quick: the jungle, the mischief, and all the fun of life on the farm. We love seeing her thrive at college while still holding onto everything that makes this place feel like home.

Kelly

Finally, there’s Kelly. Now, we won’t call her a nerd (at least not to her face), but she’s now in her fifth year of a BA LLB and is well on her way to becoming a lawyer. In a class of around 500 law students, Kelly ranks in the top six — an absolutely incredible achievement. But this success hasn’t come easily. She’s worked for every single GPA point, often studying until after 2am, pouring over her growing collection of books. Her allowance mostly goes toward more reading material — everything from Sashi Tharoor to Nietzsche, with a bit of geopolitical theory sprinkled in. The transition from Mission hostel life to college was hard and often lonely, but Kelly pushed through every tough day, and she’s now so proud of how far she’s come. She admits she misses her cats the most, but she's also looking ahead to an exciting future. Kelly hopes to secure a job placement in the oil and gas industry (laughing that, “You think I took this career for fun? It’s all about the money!”). She’s got two major internships lined up this year: one at the Supreme Court and another with a tax law firm in Delhi. There’s no doubt big things lie ahead for Kelly.

What a blessing it is to see how well all of these kids are doing! And keep in mind, this list only includes those who’ve come back to visit this week. It doesn’t even cover Clifford (working in London), Sunny (now an architect), Coreena and Chandani (both in the hotel industry), or Jessica, Reeva, Sonia, Maya, Basanti, Lisa, Sawatri, Khusboo, and Jackie, who are all also out there forging their own paths. What an incredible family we’ve been blessed with!

In just two months, our next batch of MU students — Seeya, Jyotika, Amos, and Reena — will be heading off to college. We’re so excited to see them step into this next stage of life and can’t wait to share their journeys with you as well.

A massive, massive thank you to all of the sponsors who have supported our Mission University students over the years — not just those mentioned today, but every single one of you. When we first started MU, we honestly didn’t know how it would go; it was a huge step of faith. But seeing these young men and women growing, thriving, and building futures for themselves is proof that it was and continues to be a worthy investment.