Karvika Thapa was
born in Kathmandu, Nepal 20 years ago. She moved to Delhi, India
to study business information systems during her last two years
of high school. She now lives with her parents and sister in
Kathmandu. None of her immediate family is involved with Information
Technology (IT) but they are all supportive of her pursuit,
financially and emotionally. In her free time, Thapa surfs the
web, spends time with family and friends, and enjoys traveling,
particularly throughout Nepal. She says: "God has gifted
[Nepal]. It is very beautiful."
While working towards her major in programming at the Kathmandu
College of Management (KCM), Karvika heard about the Cisco
Networking Academy Program from her principal. She understood
that networking could help her achieve the goal of becoming
a systems analyst. When she began the Networking Academy Program,
she expected to pursue practical endeavors, to gain more practical
knowledge. After finishing the first semester of the Program
in two months, she was satisfied that her expectations were
met.
In her Cisco class, which is over one-third female, Karvika
enjoys the teamwork and camaraderie she shares with all the
students. "Every body is close. Guys and girls work together."
She says girls don't tend to show much interest in the field,
but with the help of females in programs like the Cisco Networking
Academy program, girls can and should be encouraged to believe
in themselves that they can do well in IT.
With her background in management, Karvika seeks to work
as a networking administrator someday. She feels confident
that the Networking Academy Program will help her build a
career and does not limit her to a certain country or region.
Ultimately, she would like to work for the Nepal government
sector. She explains: "All technology is centered in
the capital city. My interest would be to extend that technology
through the mountains, as technology [travels] faster than
any other means of communication? Right now, the government
is not able to manage [it] properly. I would like to help
make it more efficient." In the health, education, and
defense sectors, Karvika sees technology as potentially playing
a vital role, by improving communication through networking.
She believes: "I can really do something for [my] country."
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