In The Lead: New Chapter Adhip Adhikari ’27 constructed a library at a secondary school in Kathmandu, Nepal, with the help of the Washington and Lee University community.

Adhip Adhikari ’27
July 30, 2025

Geetamata Secondary School is a 15-minute walk from my parents’ home in Kathmandu, Nepal. Some of my friends who I played cricket with went there. Smart guys. But as we grew older, I noticed a pattern. Even the best students struggled with English — the kind of English needed to get into top universities or land a good job, even in Nepal. And that mattered. English isn’t just another subject; it’s a gateway to opportunities, both in Nepal and internationally. Some of my friends didn’t get those opportunities. Not for lack of talent, but weak English skills. That didn’t sit right with me. So, I started thinking. What could I do?

A library seemed like a good place to start.

Geetamata is a solid public school, but it runs on government funding. Students pay something like $3 a month, which doesn’t leave room for extras. Their “library” was just a shelf with few books — no space, no reading culture. I figured if I could change that, even a little, it might help.

I planned the project in November 2023 and executed it in summer 2024. First, logistics. I talked with the principal, mapped out space and outlined sections. Then, funding. I got a Shepherd Internship grant to cover travel and a Johnson Opportunity Grant to fund the majority of the project. And I am working with visiting assistant professor of education studies Sarah Margalus to track how students’ English improves — measuring structure, vocabulary and comprehension. Access is one thing, but impact is another.

The next step: books. I bought what I could with grant money and collected donations from my high school and nearby schools. The Indian Embassy pitched in, too. In total, we digitized 4,800 books so students could browse what was available. We also created a reading comprehension curriculum because handing someone a book with unfamiliar words doesn’t mean they’ll know how to approach it.

The goal was simple: Help students improve their English for better opportunities. None of this would have been possible without W&L and its support.

This summer, I’ll return to Kathmandu to implement a barcode system for book circulation. One step closer to making this library a lasting resource.

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Adhikari is a double major in mathematics and accounting and finance.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of W&L: The Washington and Lee Magazine. Contact us at magazine@wlu.edu.