Students who have lived a majority of their life in a different country find solace in the diversity of the San Ramon community and speak out as to why Dougherty’s campus provides a pleasant environment for them to adapt to.

Ritika Sabharwal, a junior at Dougherty Valley, lived in Boston for the first nine years of her life, before moving to Bangalore for the next seven. At the start of her junior year, her family moved to San Ramon to be closer to her brother who attends UC Berkeley. Sabharwal didn’t feel any significant culture shock when she moved here; instead, she embraced the connections that Dougherty offered her.

“Simple things like Punjabi club made me super happy. I saw lots of things that were associated to India on club day.”

Sabharwal goes on to mention that as a result of the diversity at our school, she gets to meet people from different cultures and learn more about where they’re from, which is something she was unable to do at a traditional CBSE school in southern India.

Varsha Vinod, a junior who moved from Bangalore, India this year, shares similar views. Although Vinod acknowledges the level of academic competition at Dougherty, she finds that having Indian company around makes her feel more comfortable.

“I really miss my friends back in India, so I try to make friends with people who still have a strong connection to India,” Varsha says.