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For Manshuv Kafle ‘27, an international student from Nepal studying at Lehigh University, cooking is more than just a way to satisfy hunger—it's a canvas for life’s greatest lessons. Cooking is what he enjoys the most in life, he said, and one of the best teachers he’s ever had.

Kafle reflects on the moments spent in his family’s kitchen back home in Nepal, where each dish crafted taught him the importance of responsibility and foresight. He learned that a good cook develops the qualities of a great administrator, Kafle said.

“You have to know what ingredients are running out and ensure that you get them before they run out, you have to keep track of what you have and what you don’t and how not to let what you have go to waste,” Kafle said. “I feel it’s kind of like running a country or an economy in itself. There is supply, demand, opportunity costs, and also maximization of utility.”

Cooking is where the application of the practice of economics started for him. Today, Kafle is able to apply these skills to his education, majoring in Economics & International Relations at Lehigh. He chose this degree because it allowed him to grow outside the classroom and apply his learnings to everyday scenarios.

“As an international student, Lehigh is an exceptionally enriching experience for me,” he said.

Kafle is currently studying abroad at the London School of Economics (LSE). His decision to attend Lehigh University, away from his home and family, was founded on his personal belief that being exposed to a culture entirely different from my own had the potential to bring about growth.

“My time at Lehigh introduced me to a lot of what makes Lehigh truly rich: the diversity of its student body,” Kafle said. “I met fellow students from all over the world for whom America was as foreign a place as it was to me, who were trying to make a meaning of their identity in an unknown land, and who had nowhere to go during Christmas.”

Kafle said he found himself asking “how—aside from extending my company and my hand as a friend—might I be able to empower international students on campus?”

From there, he decided to join the Student Lehigh’s Senate and advocate for individuals from vastly dissimilar backgrounds than what is the norm. He started there in the spring of 2024, but because his study abroad semester was starting in the fall, he could not continue with it.

“During the time I was in Student Senate, my major contribution was designing an event, ‘In Search of Roots: Unveiling Historical Sources of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,’ where we brought forth three scholars from different universities to comment on the background of and reasons behind the ongoing conflict,” he said.

Kafle explained that his journey at Lehigh has required numerous leaps of faith, even before it officially began. He expressed deep gratitude for the incredible support he has received along the way from family, advisors, and friends.

When Kafle chose to study abroad in London, he feared the experience would detract from his four-year experience at Lehigh. On the contrary, he found the curriculum at LSE compliments his Lehigh experience well, enriching his education in ways he could not have anticipated without seeing it first-hand

“It is also true that a part of me looked forward to the adventure of charting an uncharted territory yet again, and LSE meant that it would not just be for the thrill of it but would truly add to my experience,” Kafle said. 

Antonio Ellison, Assistant Director of Study Abroad Diversity Initiatives and Kafle’s study abroad advisor, said that to him the LSE was a “no-brainer” for Kafle, despite the logistical challenges associated with studying abroad

“It takes a lot for a domestic student to navigate and being an international student has an extra layer of complication to the process but he [Kafle] was able to make it happen with his persistence and tenacity,” Ellison said.

Kafle said his time at Lehigh and LSE has been crucial in shaping his understanding of how to collaborate with individuals from diverse backgrounds and leverage those differences to achieve common goals. Whatever future path he takes, Kafle said these will always be the places where I gained the confidence to face the world, along with a deep sense of humility and responsibility.

For international students hesitant to receive an education far away from home Kafle urges students to “Please, please go forth.”

“The time ahead will introduce you to what I say are the two different colors of the world—white and black, and if you keep your faith up, the good in you alive, and your spirits high, you will have learned where the gray is, if there is,” Kafle said.