Thirty years later, Bangladeshi native Ayesha Dastgir ’94 still feels connections to Maryville College
Oct. 28, 2024
Homecoming is a time for the Maryville College community to reflect on what the College means to their lives. For some, MC is a home away from home, which can be especially meaningful when one’s home is halfway around the globe.
Ayesha Dastgir ‘94, originally from Bangladesh, first came to Maryville College in 1991 as a transfer student from Delhi University in New Delhi, India. In 2022 she reconnected with MC during her first visit since graduation, and has kept in touch with the College since then.
During her time as a student, Dastgir studied Business. Being a transfer as well as an international student complicated things for her at times, but with support from faculty and staff, she graduated from MC in three years.
Dastgir credits Dr. Scott Brunger, former professor of economics, as one of many who helped her successfully navigate her time at MC.
“Brunger was my academic advisor. He was very patient with me as I joined as a junior, since my transfer credits from Delhi were mainly towards electives and not my major,” she said.
Studying under Brunger also allowed Dastgir the opportunity to travel with a group of students to New York City in 1991 to take a travel study course titled “Peace Studies at the UN,” a trip Dastgir says was an incredible experience.
Another highlight from her time at MC, Dastgir says, was working with Kelly Franklin, the director of International Services at the time. He was able to give her and other international students job experience doing administrative work.
Despite having such a positive experience as a student here, Dastgir also remembers the homesickness and the difficulty of being the only Bangladeshi student at MC. For example, she recalls not knowing any other Muslim students and having to get special permission to take food outside of the dining hall while fasting during the month of Ramadan.
“When living abroad, it makes one’s own identity as a foreigner stronger. It automatically brings with it a different religion, culture, background, upbringing. With no other Bangladeshi around, it was a path not walked before,” she said.
After graduating with her Business degree, Dastgir spent one year working and getting practical training at a Knoxville bank before moving back to Bangladesh in January 1995. She went on to receive her MBA in 1998 from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. Since then, she’s been doing freelance business work based in Bangladesh.
After spending nearly 30 years away from Maryville, she came back to visit in the fall of 2022 along with her brother, Quazi Rumman Dastgir.
Once she reacclimated to campus and got used to the changes and renovations that have occurred over the years, Dastgir was able to have a lovely visit, meeting several new faces — including current College President Dr. Bryan Coker, to whom she gifted a copy of “When The Mango Tree Blossomed: Fifty Short Stories from Bangladesh” for the library — and reconnecting with old friends.
She credits Jennifer Phillips Triplett ’07, director of Alumni Affairs, with making the return to her alma mater a seamless one. The two never crossed paths as students, but have stayed in touch since meeting during her visit to Maryville College from Bangladesh.
“She made my life easier by introducing so many key people during the stay,” Dastgir said.
Other highlights from her 2022 visit to Maryville College from Bangladesh included meeting up with her former mentors Brunger and Franklin, as well as Dr. Sherry Kasper, another former professor of economics under whom Dastgir studied. She met with them while staying at the RT Lodge, which “was an experience in itself,” she said. “It was lovely to see this place renovated. It looked very different to what it was before.”
She was also able to reconnect with Karen Beaty Eldridge ’94, executive director of Marketing & Communications at MC, and Sandra Elizabeth Brown Harrison ’94, two of her floor mates from Davis Hall, where she lived as a Scot. Changes in residence life were another thing Dastgir says stood out to her when she visited — specifically, the merger of Davis and Gamble as co-ed halls rather than single-gender dorms, and the presence of pets on campus.
Reconnecting with Maryville College during Homecoming then led Dastgir to get involved with KT Global, an annual service initiative inspired by the legacy of Kin Takahashi, which is focused on bringing together MC alumni, current students and staff, families, and friends of the College from all around the globe to connect through serving in their own communities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dastgir became heavily involved in community service work in her hometown. She mentioned her work to Triplett while on campus, who told her about KT Global, and has been involved ever since — bringing MC’s philosophy of “doing good on the largest possible scale” to international heights.
Dastgir’s story is just one of many alumni stories that serve as a testament to the lasting impact of a Maryville College education, and the powerful feeling of community that is present at MC, especially during Homecoming. No matter how far away you go after graduation, or how long it is before you visit again, Maryville College will always be a place you can call home.
Written by Julia Jeffress ’25
