From tennis to business in U.S.

Student moves to U.S. from India to pursue MBA

Amanda Clancy - clancyag@plu.edu

mast news reporter

Three years ago in the hot and dry city of Ahmedabad (Ah-me-dAb) in western India Ruchita Shetty stood in front of hundreds of people to accept an award of 50,000 rupees ($1,250) presented by the state chief minister, Narendra Modi. Shetty was recognized for her skill in tennis at a national level, receiving gold medal wins for three consecutive years.

Today, 21-year-old Shetty is studying for an MBA at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash.

Although the world of tennis consumed her life for 10 years, Shetty gave it all up for a future in business. Growing up with American restaurants like McDonald’s and Subway, Shetty found an interest in the success these companies have developed through their international expansion, especially to countries with so many differences.

“Some companies are all over the world. I want to know how they work. I want to be a part of that and make a difference,” Shetty said.

Life On Campus

On campus, Shetty stands out among most students. She is one of four other Indian students on campus with her chocolate-brown skin, dark eyes, long, curly black hair, and strong accent.
Despite Shetty’s love for her homeland and inexperience in American business, she has become fond of the culture.

“I don’t want to leave here,” Shetty said. “Hopefully, I can work for an international company that works with India.”

Professors and friends who have gotten to know Shetty already see this dream as a possibility because of her determination and effort.

“She can be good here because of attitude and commitment to quality and excellency,” said Chung-Shing Lee, professor of business and Shetty’s current supervisor for graduate internship.

Shetty has been working 11 hours a week this semester as Lee’s assistant. She has been helping in research, data organization and proofreading documents. Her work ethic and commitment to her assignments has kept Lee very satisfied in the past two months.

MBA professor in management at PLU, Thad Barnowe is experiencing the broadest international class he has had. Barnowe has observed the inexperience of speaking up in class from international students including Shetty. Active participation seems not as important in their previous classes as it is expected at PLU. However, Barnowe still sees a positive future for Shetty.

“She has ambitions, [and is] a person with a lot of ability,” Barnowe said.

International students are traveling more and more to study at PLU, which Shetty saw as a perk when she applied. With only 15 years of previous education, PLU still accepted her into the master’s program unlike the University of Washington, where Shetty also applied to go.
More than just the education system is different for Shetty back in her home country.

Life Back Home

The sun’s heat seems only feet away as it radiates over western India. Where she grew up, dust circulates through the dry air with the smell of pollution as one crosses the dirt city streets, weaving in and out of buffalos, cows and goats, and transportation vehicles like camels and elephants.

“It’s like a zoo,” Shetty said. “Sometimes there are more animals than vehicles on the roads.”

Driving a mo-ped is often a challenge in avoiding animals and people. The side streets are packed with markets full of fruit and vegetables and monkeys performing acts. Every once in awhile large monkeys swing from tree to tree through the city, harmless, but scary Shetty recalls.
Shetty’s mother, Geeta Shetty, was a full-time working mother, leaving Shetty at home with her brother.

“She was independent, playing, studying and taking care of her little brother while I worked all day,” Geeta said.

Born September 8, 1986, Shettyis three years older than her brother Rohan. She can recall many memories of them fighting as kids.

They used to watch the World Wrestling Foundation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) together and then practice moves on each other for fun.

“We used to drive each other crazy,” Shetty said, laughing. “He’d always give me the choke move, and we fought all the time until someone started bleeding.”

Tennis Beginning

Shetty’s father, Jagannath Shetty, owns his own transportation business in India and first introduced Rohan and Shetty into tennis as a fun activity. As they both developed their talent to become strong athletes, Jagannath and Geeta continued to support them.

Rohan and Shetty were both one of tennis coach Narendea Kankaria’s first students in tennis. Kankaria remembered how well they knew how to play as beginners.

“Rohan was more mental and stronger; Ruchita was a hard-worker, sincere and physical,” Kankaria said.

After high school, Rohan left for the U.S. with a scholarship in tennis at Nichollas State University in Louisiana while attaining a degree in business as well.

During tennis, Shetty’s focus was always on the pressure to win. One bad call from the referee could ruin her chances.

“I used to shout at the referee and smash my tennis racket on the ground,” Shetty said.

Since 1998, a typical day for Shetty started at 5:30 a.m. for fitness training until 9 a.m. She then practiced tennis until 12 p.m. After a lunch and rest break, she was back to playing tennis from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m.

To focus her time on tennis, Shetty dropped her other activities such as swimming and painting. She almost dropped her studies as well.

During college, this tennis program continued despite her class schedule. Shetty never attended class or met her professors. Homework assignments were turned in and as long as she tested well, the faculty didn’t care. The attention Shetty received from the press gave the school publicity too.

“No one cared as long as I scored well and played well. That’s all. It made me really tired, though,” Shetty said.

Although Kankaria would have loved to see Shetty continue playing, he understands the importance of an education. One of the first things he recalled about Shetty was not just her talent, but how well she did in her studies.

After working with Shetty for 10 years, up until the very month she left for the U.S., Kankaria could sum up in one sentence her talent in tennis.

“She is the best girl I have ever seen in India,” Kankaria said. After completing an undergraduate degree in accounting at H-L College in Ahmedabad, Shetty was off to study in Washington.

“It’s so quiet and clean here and the trees are huge,” Shetty said.

Life in the U.S.

Three months after arriving, Shetty has gotten used to the large fruit, animals on leashes and paved roads of Washington.

Marketing management and algebra books now sit next to a box of Lucky Charms and a bag of tortilla chips onShetty’s shelves in her on-campus room in Ordal. Pictures of U.S. tennis players like Maria Sharapova and actors like Brad Pitt line the walls surrounding her desk.

One picture she absolutely loves: a dreamy, Indian actor, Hrithik Roshan, who became the first superhero in Indian cinema.

“I watch his movies over and over, even when they’re terrible,” Shetty said.

She said she also fancies Brad Pitt in “Troy,” a favorite American film.

For the first time in the U.S., Shetty didn’t know anyone and everything was so new. She said she was afraid after observing how quiet it was, even Seattle seemed motionless compared to her home city. She said she felt unsafe to walk around by herself.

“If I scream, I don’t think anyone will hear me,” Shetty said. “There are people everywhere in India all the time.”

Finding Friends

Luckily, PLU sophomore Komal Patel came to her rescue. They were introduced through an international counselor since Patel is also a student from India.

After experiencing the same situation of traveling to a new country, Patel knew how Shetty felt. After a tour of the campus, answering all Shetty’s questions, they became friends.

“Ruchita was so willing to accept everything, she got used to this new culture so quickly, like a week,” Patel said.

At the beginning of the term, Shetty didn’t have a roommate and first-year Tina Morrison called her within a couple weeks looking for a new roommate.

“Ruchita was so excited, she asked me right away, ‘When can you move in?’” Morrison said.
Shetty said she was homesick and lonely and a roommate was just what she needed.

“She acts like a big sister, she’ll ask me questions about what I’ve eaten today since I have a sensitive stomach,” Morrison said.

International students Tesheen Ansari and her fiancé, Abbas Syed, are also from a different part of India and in two of Shetty’s MBA classes. Currently, there are 179 international students on campus, most from Norway and China. Although few are from India, Shetty and her friends are part of this continual growth in diversity at PLU.

The two now have a close friendship with Shetty and spend a lot of weekend time together. Cooking, watching movies and occasional off-campus activities fill their schedules whenever possible.

During spring break, the three of them went to Seattle and experienced the Space Needle.
“It was really cold that day and we couldn’t get Ruchita inside. She liked looking at the city,” Syed said.

After their education, Ansari and Syed plan on staying in touch with Shetty.

“We’ve gotten very close, like a family we have created over here,” Syed said.

With the craziness of work and her master’s program, Shetty has no time to join the tennis team, but hopes to pick up her racket and get the chance to play this summer while she stays at PLU.

She said she hopesto help out with the tennis team next year. At this current time in her life, she said she can’t stop thinking about playing again.

Ruchita’s eyes widen as she reminisces back to when she was 18 standing across the court from her opponent.

“I know I can beat her, everyone has beaten her,” Ruchita said.

Through the course of the match, Ruchita’s anger and frustration surfaced and finally grabbed hold of her. The tournament was done; a complete embarrassment.

“I just need one more chance and I will beat her,” Ruchita said.

As the next tournament came, Ruchita could never have been more anxious. Looking at the brackets, Ruchita would again be faced against her opponent.

“Finally, I can show that I am better. Sorry sweetie, but I have to do this,” Ruchita said to herself as she stepped onto the court.

Photo courtesy of Ruchita Shetty

Winning three gold medal tournaments in a row nationally, MBA graduate student Ruchita Shetty moved to Washington in order to pursue her education in business. Shetty is interested in large corporations expanding internationally and wants to continue studying this field.