21 Under 21 Series: Aditi Adhikari

Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Majors: Public Policy and Economics; Minor: Chemistry

Aditi Adhikari is a Morehead Cain Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa member, and Buckley Public Service Scholar at Carolina. After graduation, She will work for Bain & Company, a top-tier management consulting firm, in Atlanta. Her career aspiration is to work at the intersection of business and social impact and she believes that her biggest accomplishment at Carolina is her involvement in the foundation of the Asian American Center at UNC. A fun fact about her is that she absolutely loves backpacking!

How does your identity - your culture, queerness, citizenship status, etc. - motivate your work?

“ My identity as a child of immigrants and as a minority Asian ethnicity heavily influence my work. Asian Americans are not a monolith, and recent data from the National Women's Law Center and AAPI Data show that Nepali women in America make $0.50 for every dollar a white, non-hispanic makes in America. Furthermore, 23% of Nepali Americans are in poverty, compared to 15% of Americans overall and 8% of Indian Americans, with whom we are often confused.” - Aditi Adhikari