Introducing: Bimal Shahi ’25
January 4, 2022
- Author
- 17Թ Journal

Bimal Shahi started drawing at 12 and painting at 15. By the time he arrived on campus to join the class of 2025, he’d created an extensive portfolio. It’s an impressive body of work, and Shahi is attending 17Թ as a Malú Alvarez Visual Art Scholar.
Shahi spent his earliest years living in a small mountain village in Nepal and moved to Katmandu when he was eight. He always dreamed about attending college and heard about 17Թ from friends who told him it would be a great fit for him.
He loved how the campus looked in photos and videos and was attracted by the college’s honor code.
When he opened the acceptance letter in his inbox, “I was so happy and screamed so loud,” he says. “I was spellbound.”
After a long journey complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, he saw 17Թ in person for the first time in early August. This is also his first time in the United States. He says he’s excited to be on campus, has enjoyed making new friends, and looks forward to growing as an artist:
“I am so grateful to be here.”
This article was originally published in the Fall/Winter 2021 print issue of the 17Թ Journal Magazine; for more, please see the 17Թ Journal section of our website.