Anjela Manandhar, a typical nerd child who fantasized about getting a letter from Hogwarts someday, is a strong and bold woman brought up with love in a decent family. She has always been a kind-hearted soul with a soft corner for dogs.
Career-wise, Anjela is a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. She completed her doctorate in Biochemistry from The Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY. Originally from Kathmandu, she flew to the US in 2009 for undergrad studies. She uses computational tools to investigate the structural and dynamical properties of bio-molecules. One of her current projects involves designing a drug against a protein of covid-19 virus. Through her journey in tech and research, she has realized that exposure and mentorship are indeed crucial to spark an interest in any new field.
“I describe myself as a computational chemist — where I am using computational tools to answer biochemical phenomena. But this was not something I aspired to be, it just happened and I am glad it did.”
What Anjela is doing now and what she has become is a completely different scene from how her story as a studious child starts. Ever since childhood, she heard her family and friends say, “Anjela will be a doctor!” It turned out to be a manifestation upon herself. However, with time, she realized that it was not her cup of tea and then went to the US for further studies.
“It was one of the most difficult days of my life, telling my parents about me not wanting to continue with a medical career. It was indeed a low moment for me. But everything comes to balance after a certain time.”
She also shares that having exposure to the open-mindedness of western countries regarding women and their careers made her realize that her to-be-doctor manifestation was nothing but a face to the stereotypical patriarchal society. From women being called off to take up a career in the easy sectors to women looking for comfort as a result of inferiority complex is described by Anjela as nothing but a miserable failure of every one of us.
“The problem I see is, although women are in the workforce it significantly changes once they are married. Why are women only the primary caretakers of a home? Why isn’t there inclusiveness in households and similarly an inclusiveness at work? Why, even after all these years of women reaching places, we are still unable to get rid of all the traditional mindsets? If there is anything resisting the desperately needed change, we need to work from an individual level.”
Despite all her struggles, Anjela, with pride, shares her stories of not just success but miserable failures. She celebrates her failures because, according to her, that is something that makes her continue moving and striving for excellence. In addition, she also highlights the importance of good guidance and mentorship in our most vulnerable states of life.
“I never believed in myself that computational chemistry would become an integral part of me. But here I am, living as an integral part of computational chemistry itself. This was not possible without the mentorship I got. I decided to take this track because my PhD advisor gave me the confidence that I could do this. I owe my career to her.”
This experience of perfect guidance has not just taken Anjela to places but given her the power to stand beside everyone who needs a hand to hold or the one to high-five.
“If I see anybody confused and lacking confidence about themselves, all I say is ‘If I could, you can too!’. Thus, I have always tried my best to provide as much help, resources and motivation to beginners of my field. I know how difficult it was for me but I overcame it and so can anyone else.”
Anjela’s story is about exploring Nepali society’s loopholes that have evolved her from being a socially naive person to an intellectual explorer. She is a perfect example of a Happy, go Lucky Soul who lives every moment for herself and the people around her without worrying about the future. Her belief in ‘present moment=perfect moment’ inspires us to live free. NWiC is proud to know a person like Anjela who loves creating only happiness and positivity around her.
This article was written by Ojashwi Sharma, a valuable member of Nepali Women in Computing for Nepali Women in Computing — CELEBRATE.
