In this month’s staff spotlight, we’re learning all about Devesh Mondal, one of our Global Enrollment Management Specialists based at SAF Headquarters in Chicago! Devesh shares his experiences living and teaching in Japan, and how this enriching experience inspired him to help students embark on their own study abroad adventures. Discover his favorite hobby and the invaluable advice he offers to students embarking on their overseas journeys.
What's your role at SAF?
DM: At SAF, I work as a GEM (Global Enrollment Management) Specialist. The GEM department works closely with the Program Team and Country Offices, primarily focusing on integrating the students within our internal systems, collecting and reviewing the documentation they submit for their chosen program(s), and finally putting together their application and submitting it to their respective institutions.
What inspired you to work in the study abroad industry?
DM: In 2022-2023, I had the opportunity to live abroad in Tokyo, working as an English teaching assistant at a vocational college. Japan’s travel/border restrictions were lightening up during this time and our college was aiming to revamp its study abroad department – I helped encourage students to participate in the programs we offered and also taught supplemental classes preparing students for what it would be like abroad. I was able to witness how much of an effect studying abroad had on the students and it was their reaction from being abroad that convinced me to further pursue a career in this industry.
Can you share a fun fact about yourself that most people wouldn’t know?
DM: I love to cook and bake! I grew up spending a decent amount of time in the kitchen, either helping my mom out or making stuff on my own. I’m always trying to find new recipes to test either by watching cooking videos on YouTube or skimming through cookbooks (my current personal favorite baking book is Claire Saffitz’s Dessert Person).
What’s your favorite hobby or activity outside of work?
DM: I really enjoy music! I started taking classical piano lessons and teaching myself guitar when I was a child and haven’t stopped since. I also played viola for some time as well, playing in my chamber orchestra in high school. I’m constantly listening to music and learning new songs to play (my all-time favorite album is Abbey Road by The Beatles). If I’m not working, most of my free time will usually be spent on the piano bench or on the couch with the guitar.
What’s the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken?
DM: When I was living in Tokyo, my friend and I summited Mt. Fuji. Prior to then, neither of us had any real climbing experience, but for whatever reason, we thought we were physically prepared for climbing the mountain. We started in the morning and by midday, we trudged our way up to the seventh station where we slept (or at least tried to) until night. It was at this point that both of us independently developed the sinking feeling of “this might be too much for me”. We were sore, cold, and exhausted – the altitude sickness was starting to come in as well. Luckily, when we woke up neither of us expressed our doubts to the other, because if one of us did, then we most likely would have given up and made our back down to base camp. After taking some pain killers, we finished packing up and climbed through the night towards the top. By 5am, we finally managed to summit the mountain, and we could see the sun just starting to poke above the horizon. Seeing the sunrise from the top of Mt. Fuji was by far the most beautiful thing I had ever seen; no picture can really do it justice. Even though the climb up (and back down) was miserable and left me struggling to climb a flight of stairs the following week, just thinking about the view up top makes me want to do it all over again.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to students considering studying abroad?
DM: If you do decide to study abroad, act like a sponge and absorb as much of the experience as you can. It can be a lot at first; however, being open-minded and engrossing yourself in the local community/culture can provide you with new perspectives, new strong and lasting friendships, and knowledge you may not be able to find in any textbook.
How do you think study abroad changes students’ lives?
DM: Without realizing it, everyone grows up with an opaque bubble surrounding them that can mentally separate oneself from the rest of the world. Inside that bubble is the personalized world of that sole person, containing their life, hometown, experiences, friends and family, etc. When you’re inside, your world seems massive; however, when you finally go abroad, the walls of your bubble start to clear and you realize how small it actually is and in turn, how enormous and diverse the real world is.
What’s one thing you always keep on your desk or in your workspace?
DM: Unfortunately, aside from the paperwork and office supplies I accumulate throughout the day, my desk in the office is quite barren. That being said, my desk at home has a lot more of the items that I cherish on it. Something that I always keep on this desk are the letters I have received from the friends that I’d made back in Japan.
If you could invite one famous person (past or present) to speak to students about studying abroad, who would it be?
DM: I would love to have seen Anthony Bourdain speak to the students about studying abroad. Even though he may not have necessarily “studied abroad”, I believe he, through his extensive work around the world, perfectly encapsulated the meaning and feeling of “being abroad”. He would constantly steer away from the beaten path and would go out of his way to truly immerse himself in the local scene and culture. He has seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly; I know for a fact, if he were to have given a speech to the students with his amazing storytelling abilities, it would have been nothing less than awe-inspiring.
What does the 25th anniversary of this organization mean to you?
DM: It tells me that despite the adversity and challenges we may face as an organization, we have and will always uphold and maintain a level of quality that is above the rest. We put our students first, ensuring that we do what we can in order to provide them with the best experience possible. It truly takes a village to send a student abroad, and everyone here constantly goes above and beyond to do their part.
What’s a message you’d like to share with the organization’s founders or early team members?
DM: I’d like to say, “thank you!” Not everyone gets the chance to study/travel abroad so creating and growing an organization that offers this opportunity to more and more students is an amazing thing! The significance of studying abroad is not immediately apparent, especially to those who haven’t already done so; the importance of having an organization like this and lowering the fairly high barrier to entry for students cannot be understated.
