Rajika
Bhandari
TOPICS
International Higher Education
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International and Foreign Students
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Access and Equity Issues in Education
Women and Education
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Being a Skilled Immigrant in the U.S.
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The Asian American Identity and Experience
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International Exchanges between the U.S. and India
Rajika is available as a keynote speaker and to moderate discussions on topics such as international higher education; international and foreign students; access and equity issues in education; women and education; being a skilled immigrant in the U.S.; the Asian American identity and experience; and international exchanges between the U.S. and India.
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Keynotes and Events featuring America Calling
Speaker, From Surviving to Thriving: Ensuring that we serve the whole international student. University of Maine, April 1, 2024
Keynote, Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Annual Meeting, Washington DC, December 7-9, 2023.
Keynote, America Calling: How Our Universities Attract the World's Talent and Why it Matters, New York University (NYU), International Education Week 2023 celebration, November 15, 2023
Campus talk, America Calling: Arriving and Thriving in the U.S. as an International Student and Scholar, Yale University, Office of International Students and Scholars, October 12 2023
Keynote speaker, Honors Convocation, Kean University, New Jersey, May 5, 2023
Panelist, Writing With an Accent: Immigrant Women's Voices in the U.S. Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) 2023 conference, Seattle, WA, March 11, 2023
Speaker, South Asian Awareness Network (SAAN) 2023 conference, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, March 2023
Lecture, Renard Lecture Series, America Calling: How Our Universities Attract the World's Talent and Why it Matters. Shames JCC on the Hudson, Tarrytown, NY, January 30, 2023
Book talk, in conversation with Senem Bakar, Supporting International Students Globally: Where to Go From Here. International Education Week 2022 Celebration, American University, Washington, DC, Nov. 16, 2022
Keynote, Global Engagement Week, Kenyon College, Ohio, Oct. 20, 2022
Speaker, Fall for the Book Literary Festival, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, Oct. 13, 2022
Keynote, One To World Annual Meeting, New York University, NY, Oct. 11, 2022
Keynote, Finding My Voice (Accent Included!): My Journey as an Immigrant Writer. Writing From the
Heart: Story Circle Annual Conference, Sep. 17, 2022
Interview with Kevin Rudd, President of Asia Society, Asian Americans Building America series, Asia
Society, August 26, 2022
Book talk, in conversation with Elly Fishman, author of Refugee High, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, June 13, 2002
Author showcase, NAFSA Annual Conference 2022, Denver, May 31, 2022
Keynote, Internationalization Summit, University of Denver, May 27, 2022
Keynote, Washington International Education Conference, DC, March 25, 2022
Keynote and book talk, South Asian Heritage Month, George Washington University, Washington DC,
March 24, 2022
Plenary Speaker, Migrants with Mortar Boards: Serving the Whole International Student, Eurasia Higher
Education (EURIE) Summit, March 4, 2022
Book talk, in conversation with Megan Holt, Executive Director of One Book One New Orleans, hosted by
Octavia Books, New Orleans, February 21, 2022.
Keynote, American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) Annual Conference, Miami, Florida, Dec.
9, 2021
Book talk, in conversation with Vinod Busjeet, author of Silent Winds, Dry Seas, hosted by Duende
Books, Dec. 7 2021
Book talk hosted by the U.S.-India Education Foundation (the Fulbright Commission), Nov. 16 2021,
during International Education Week.
Book talk, International Education Week, Suffolk University, Nov. 16 2021.
Book talk, in conversation with Gloria Blackwell, President and CEO, American Association of University
Women (AAUW), Sep. 30, 2021
Book talk, Society for Intercultural Training and Research (SEITAR), DC Chapter, Sep. 22, 2021
Book pre-launch, in conversation with best-selling author, Reyna Grande, Irvington Public Library and
the Village Bookstore, Irvington, NY, Sep. 13, 2021
​​Book launch, in conversation with Chronicle of Higher Education reporter, Karin Fischer, accompanied by
panel discussion with Jorge G. Gonzalez, President of Kalamazoo College; Fanta Aw, Vice President of
Campus Life & Inclusive Excellence, American University; Stephanie Kim, Assistant Professor of the
Practice, Georgetown University; and Miriam Feldblum, Executive Director of the Presidents' Alliance.
Hosted by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Sep. 14, 2021
Book launch, in conversation with David Janes, Engage Asia, Irvington, NY, Sep. 14, 2021
Keynote, Times Higher Education Student Festival, Sep. 9, 2021
Keynote, Understanding the "other" The Power of Education. Bronx Book Fair, July 31, 2021
Keynote, International Association for College Admissions Counseling 2021 Conference, July 12, 2021
Book talk, High School Moms and International Alliance of Counselors and Educators, June 14, 2021
Shows and Podcasts
featuring America Calling
The Rational Middle Podcast, November 2022
The Higher Ed Spotlight, November 2022
The Melting Pot, September 2022
Strive: Toward a more just, sustainable future, May 2022
The EdUp Experience, March 2022
KQED Forum, Jan. 2022
Brown People We Know Podcast, Oct. 22, 2021
The Speak Good Podcast, Oct. 17, 2021
The nuWriters Podcast, Sep. 14, 2021
Dropping In with Diane Dewey Podcast, Sep. 3 2021
Desi Books, Aug. 31, 2021
The Learning Future Podcast with Louka Parry, July, 2021
Select Speaking Engagements
Guest speaker, The Size and Shape of International Education in a New Competitive Landscape, Holon
IQ, Feb. 24, 2022
Commencement Speaker, Masters in International Education Program, George Washington University,
May 15, 2021
Panel Discussion, Women Leading Transformative Change in Higher Education. ISEP and the Global
Leadership League, June 28, 2021.
Panelist, Will international students return in fall 2021? A vital resource at risk, briefing organized by the
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, April 7, 2021.
​Moderator, South Asian Author Panel, Women's National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter, May 21, 2021.
Moderator and Host, A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards and Closing Ceremony, STAR
Scholars Network 2020 Conference. Special address by Professor Noam Chomsky on his 92nd birthday,
Dec. 8, 2020.
Keynote, The role of higher education in promoting diversity in education abroad. A Catalyst for Change:
Promoting health equity in global medical education in the post-COVID-19 era conference organized by
Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and the American Association of Medical Colleges, Dec. 4, 2020.
Invited panelist, First- and second-generation immigrant students in higher education. Organized by the
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and the Migration Policy Institute, October
2020
Chair, Staying resilient, looking ahead: COVID-19’s influence on Indian and Nepalese students’ views on
education and careers, IC3 Institute, September 2020
Invited panelist, Internationalization and entry of foreign institutions in India, O.P. Jindal Global
University, India, September 2020
Invited panelist, The Evolving Role of Employers in Dealing with the Needs of Working Parents, Global
Talent Summit organized by Diplomatic Courier and Minerva, September 2020.
Invited panelist, How international education can contribute to racial and social justice, Association of
International Education Administrators (AIEA) Town Hall, June 2020
Invited panelist, COVID-19: The end or revival of international higher education? Center for Studies in
Higher Education, University of California, Berkeley, May, 2020
Invited panelist, Mission Admission: Options for Indian students seeking an international education,
Times of India, May 2020
Panelist, Access to quality: how higher education competes for talent, WISE Summit, Doha, Nov. 19-21,
2019
Plenary speaker, Pathways and Trends for Global Education, 2019 National Chinese Language
Conference, organized by the Asia Society and the College Board, San Diego, May 2019
Invited speaker, International Students and Global STEM Talent: Implications for Science and Innovation,
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Policy Forum, Washington, DC, May 2019
Keynote panel, International Center-Level Collaborations to Enhance Research and Workforce
Development, National Science Foundation (NSF) Workshop, Washington DC, April 2019
Invited speaker, International students: Institutional strategies in difficult times. American Council on
Education (ACE) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, March 2019
Invited speaker, Global academic mobility and knowledge flows: Megatrends, challenges and
opportunities, National Science Foundation (NSF) Distinguished Speaker Series, Washington, DC, Dec. 2018
Invited speaker, Symposium on Intelligent Internationalization: The shape of things to come. Boston
College Center for International Higher Education, Boston, Nov. 2018.
Panelist, launch of the 2018 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, United Nations, New York
City, Nov. 2018
Invited speaker, Research, Evaluation and Learning Summit, Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Washington DC, Feb. 2018
Panelist, Economic impacts of international exchange: a Capitol Hill briefing on trends in student
mobility. IIE Washington Forum and the House International Exchange Caucus, Washington DC, Jan.
2018
