As a first year international student from India, Varun Thakur has always wanted to reach his lifelong goals of traveling the world, getting a good education, and maintaining a good social life during his college career. 

Thakur is technically a first year international student at Sonoma State University, but is a transferred in junior from Santa Rosa Junior College. He is seeking to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Media Studies. He is also a member of the International Club here at Sonoma State, but he is not able to put as much time into the club as he would like with his busy schedule. 

Thakur can read and write in four different languages such as, English, Spanish, Hindi, and Punjabi. 

“Spanish was probably the hardest to learn and I am still learning it,” said Thakur. 

Thakur also loves to sing and dance in his free time. While he has been dancing nearly his entire life, Thakur choreographs his own dances and mixes his own music. All of this talent culminated in him taking home the win in the most recent Seawolves Got Talent.

“It turned out to be a blessing and a great experience to perform beside so many talented Sonoma State students,” said Thakur. 

His intention was to win the crowd, but he was fortunate enough to win both the crowd and the show. Thakur performed one of the most popular Indian dances known as the, “Bhangra.” The dances origin is Punjab and it connects to the cultural roots of India. So, Thakur was lucky enough to share his culture with the entire campus to show what makes them different from the West Coast. Now, Thakur considers the West Coast home. With the $250 in prize money, Thakur spent it on his textbooks and other things toward his education.     

He has also been invited to perform on Sibling’s Day next weekend on Saturday Feb. 22. This event is set up by Student Involvement and will be hosted in the ballrooms in the Student Center. Come out and enjoy. 

Another fun fact about Thakur is that he chooses to live a healthy lifestyle and has converted to being a vegetarian. His favorite place to eat on campus is Lobos and loves their pizza and quesadillas. Health and dance aren’t his only passions. Thakur has hobbies just like everyone else.

For example, Thakur has over 28 pairs of shoes and plans to add on to the collection. 

“I am a sneaker freak,” said Thakur. 

While loving shoes, he also claims that he spends too much money on clothes and loves fashion. 

While in the United States, Thakur’s most memorable trip was to Disney World in Florida on his birthday last year. Never riding any ride in his entire life, Thakur went on every single one in the theme park. He conquered his lifelong fear of going on rides in an amusement park. 

“So for me, Disney World will remain the most special place in my life and I have a dream to be part of the Disney family one day,” said Thakur.   

In the future, Thakur would like to be a CEO of a multinational corporation. He also wants to test his luck with owning a Bar and adding an Indian touch to it. In the long haul, he wants to travel all across the European continent with his significant other. He would like to visit London, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, Zurich, Budapest, and many more. The ultimate goal is to tour the world.   

Thakur would like to thank Shelly Stephens (Administrative Analyst) and Katie O’Brian (International Advisor) for their support and helping his smooth transition into Sonoma State. 

“I believe in the process rather than results,” said Thakur. He keeps pushing his limits every single day and the results will show.    

“Varun is one of the most talented, and kind hearted individuals I have ever met. He is so dedicated to his work and driven for success in his future,” said Thakur’s friend Myles Grabau.