NMSU professor is a finalist in national contest; Looks to inspire others with prize
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Have you ever felt like an outsider? It’s a feeling Rajeev Nirmalakhandan knows well.
As a child immigrant from Sri Lanka, he said he always felt like he was looking at the world from the outside in. He had a spinal disorder that made him walk differently and made him unable to do what other kids did.
“I was just different,” Nirmalakhandan says. “I was broken.”
His story doesn’t stop there, though. Decades later, he looks back and sees just how far he’s come.
Now he’s a filmmaker and a professor at New Mexico State University. His turning point was his creativity. He started drawing and painting. When people saw him differently, he began to see himself differently, realizing his potential.
His dream now is to do the same for others.
As a finalist in Ryan Seacrest’s national Top Host competition, Nirmalakhandan could win a six-episode iHeart Radio podcast, $25,000 and an appearance with Ryan Seacrest.
He’ll use his platform to help those who have been bullied, faced adversity, or stopped believing in themselves. His vision?
“Think ‘Shark Tank’ for inspiration, not dollars,” he said. He aims to help others with their problems on the podcast.
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