Eberly College of Arts & Sciences graduate Ritu Dhungana shakes hands with Rudolph P. Almasy, dean of the college, Sunday, at the WVU Creative Arts Center.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The closing months of Ritu Dhungana’s final semester in the WVU political science doctoral program was rough.
But not like others who complain of dissertation lengths, cramming for exams and pulling all-nighters.
Dhungana is from Katmandu, Nepal.
In April, the well-known tourist spot and Nepal’s largest city was hit by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
The quake triggered an avalanche on nearby Mount Everest, killing about 20 people, and destroyed ancient buildings and flattened villages — causing thousands to be homeless.
In May, a second quake, registered at a magnitude 7.3, hit near of the border of China.
The death toll from the quakes stand at more than 8,000, with tens of thousands injured.
“When I saw those pictures of Nepal,” the recent graduate said, “we lost a history [and] we have nothing left. That place that I identified with is gone.”
Dhungana said her family’s home was cracked…
