Newcomer

In 1980, leaving behind her family and friends in her home town, Calcutta, India, a 21-year-old woman arrives in America for graduate studies in electrical engineering, a predominately male field of study. As the only woman in her engineering classes, she must prove herself to her classmates and instructors and pave the way for others coming after her. In her daily life she deals with many challenges: financial struggles, an unfamiliar culture, a new educational system and academic...
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In 1980, leaving behind her family and friends in her home town, Calcutta, India, a 21-year-old woman arrives in America for graduate studies in electrical engineering, a predominately male field of study. As the only woman in her engineering classes, she must prove herself to her classmates and instructors and pave the way for others coming after her. In her daily life she deals with many challenges: financial struggles, an unfamiliar culture, a new educational system and academic field, and prevailing loneliness. Brought up in a tradition-bound happy family, surrounded by parents, siblings and grandparents, her life in America is isolated and she misses all the familiar religious and social celebrations and ceremonies. Homesickness and the stresses of school and daily life interweave with sweet memories of her Calcutta home. She adheres to her family's expectations while she learns to adapt to life in the U.S.