Dinesh Raj Panta 

Growing up in a remote village in Nepal, Dinesh Raj Panta was fascinated as a child by the planes and helicopters he saw overhead. His home was so remote, the closest bus stop was a seven-hour walk, and he was five years old when he saw his first vehicle.

Thanks to a scholarship, he excelled in high school in Katmandu while his parents and brother moved to Colorado. Several years would pass before Dinesh could obtain a visa that would allow him to join them here. 

Today, Dinesh is pursuing a degree in civil engineering at CU Denver, motivated by his desire to make infrastructure and opportunities accessible to rural communities. Again, scholarships made all the difference. “Before getting a scholarship, I had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet,” he explains. Instead, scholarships allowed Dinesh to be a full-time student and benefit from an internship in the engineering department of the City of Aspen. This support also helped him stay focused, tutor other students, and pursue opportunities and projects related to his studies.    

“Scholarships have made everything possible and easier,” says Dinesh, who remains grateful to those who funded the multiple scholarships he has received. No doubt, he will pay it forward in his career as he helps those from other remote communities connect and prosper.