Pathways
From a Promise to a Purpose typography

by bryan Wendell

Nikhil Trivedi ’21 was just 5 when he made a promise to his grandma.

“I agreed to become a doctor,” he says. “From then on, she’d always say, ‘my little Nikki’s going to be a doctor and make me proud.’”

That promise sparked a passion for science. In middle school, Trivedi remembers learning about the brain and being in awe.

“How can these microscopic cells make up who we are, how we act, how we think?” he says. “That just really interested me.”

At Bucknell, the neuroscience major from Berlin, Conn., has found the perfect playground for his passion. He has partnered with professors on research and presented his work to faculty at Yale University.

His ultimate aim is to enter medical school, which will mean even more long days and hard work.

“A lot of times, my family tells me that I work too hard, that I’m studying too much,” he says. “But my grandma says, ‘No, he’s going to be a doctor.’ I think every step closer to wearing that white coat just makes her even more excited.”

photograph by emily paine
Pathways
Nikhil Trivedi smiling against a light gray backdrop in a professional photo
From a Promise to a Purpose typography
by bryan Wendell

Nikhil Trivedi ’21 was just 5 when he made a promise to his grandma.

“I agreed to become a doctor,” he says. “From then on, she’d always say, ‘my little Nikki’s going to be a doctor and make me proud.’”

That promise sparked a passion for science. In middle school, Trivedi remembers learning about the brain and being in awe.

“How can these microscopic cells make up who we are, how we act, how we think?” he says. “That just really interested me.”

At Bucknell, the neuroscience major from Berlin, Conn., has found the perfect playground for his passion. He has partnered with professors on research and presented his work to faculty at Yale University.

His ultimate aim is to enter medical school, which will mean even more long days and hard work.

“A lot of times, my family tells me that I work too hard, that I’m studying too much,” he says. “But my grandma says, ‘No, he’s going to be a doctor.’ I think every step closer to wearing that white coat just makes her even more excited.”

photograph by emily paine