Sydney Ross

Shortly after completing her first year of college, East Tennessee State University student and Roan Scholar Sydney Ross flew halfway around the world to spend two months in an isolated, underdeveloped and newly democratic country – Nepal. It’s this type of adventure that motivates Ross to continue “climbing” toward her goal of becoming a pediatrician.

During two-mile walks along the dirty streets of Nepal to and from the Shree Manjushri Primary School, Ross clasped the small hands of the children standing on either side of her and said she felt connected to the culture and people surrounding her. She was captivated by each giggle, sigh and the stories accompanying them.

A lifelong curiosity about the world and a passion to serve others led Ross online to research international service opportunities, which is where she discovered the Himalayan Children’s Home in Pokhara, Nepal. The non-profit ensures a better life for children from villages in the isolated Mustang region by providing lodging, food, education and health care. 

The location was a perfect fit for Ross. The pre-med biology turned anthropology major grew up obsessing over cultures and places much different from her Tennessee hometown.

“Switching from biology to anthropology was a no-brainer,” she said. “It helped guide my decision to go to Nepal because of its rich cultural heritage. I’ve always wanted to work with children, especially those lacking basic needs like education and health care.” 

The objective of the trip was twofold – complete six weeks of volunteer service required of rising sophomores in ETSU’s Roan Scholars Program, and undergo the physically demanding trek to the base camp of Mount Everest.

Before the six-week service experience at the Himalayan Children’s Care Home, Ross spent two weeks in the Nepali capital of Katmandu, where she trekked toward the base camp of Mount Everest alongside a group of strangers. Being an adventure-seeker and avid hiker and having worked at ETSU’s Basler Team Challenge and Aerial Adventure Course, Ross said she felt prepared to take on the world’s tallest mountain. In fact, just last summer, she and her father summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

She arrived at the starting point, Lukla, by plane, and without sufficient time to adjust to the nearly 5,000 foot climb in elevation, Ross quickly became sick. She couldn’t eat and was suffering from headaches and dizziness.

“I was really stubborn and I tried to ignore it,” Ross said. “My parents would call and I would tell them I was fine. I would tell my guide I was fine. I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to my brain and finally on the fifth day I was forced to stop. I had to be flown down the mountain because my body was starting to shut down.”

Although she didn’t reach her initial goal, Ross learned that it’s okay to fall short and insists that someday she’ll return to Mount Everest again, better prepared to handle the altitude change. She will talk more in-depth about her Nepali adventure during her lecture, “Attitude vs. Altitude,” at the IDEAcademy leadership series on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at Eastman’s Toy F. Reid Employee Center in Kingsport.

“I looked at it as a negative at first, but I realized this was a very positive experience,” she said. “It taught me to not be so stubborn and to listen to what my body is telling me. I realized it wasn’t a failure because I tried to keep going, but my body was failing in that moment.”

Ross left her footprints on the Himalayan Mountains, but it was the people she met who made an impression on her heart. Conversations with the children ranged from U.S. pop culture icons Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, to the traditions of their northern Nepali home in the Kingdom of Mustang. Many of the children leave their rural villages at age five or six to live in Pokhara and attend school until at least fifth grade.

Ross has an album of selfies on her phone taken by the Nepali children. While scrolling through the photos, she remembers the unique story behind each smiling face, including the struggles of living far from home.

“I realized how thankful I am for where I live,” Ross said. “Every time I travel, I come away with a new perspective. There are more than 70 kids living in a two-story building. They don’t have a lot, but they are still happy and they love learning new things.”

A gong would ring out across the children’s home every morning at 5 a.m., letting Ross know it was time to wake up and help with breakfast preparation for 77 children, plus staff and volunteers. Ross and other volunteers escorted 16 of the younger children to and from their school, about two miles each way. And per Nepali tradition, they walked hand-in-hand.

“It was a special time to talk with them and connect to see how they were feeling,” Ross said. “If they felt like any of the other kids were being mean, they took that time to tell me what was going on in their lives and I could see what I could do to help.”

One thing Ross couldn’t change was the food. Lunch and dinner was always the same, a Nepali tradition – dal bhat – a rice and lentil soup mixed with vegetables. 

“The kids never got tired of it, but I did after a while,” Ross laughed.

During the walks back and forth from the Nepali school each day, Ross looked past the trash-strewed streets and gazed up at the beautiful Machapuchare, or “fish tail,” Mountain. She said the walks gave her time to reflect and think about how her life would be different once she returned home.

“This trip made me a lot more confident,” Ross said. “This was the first time I traveled alone and it made me realize that I am a lot more equipped to be a leader and take risks than I ever thought before.”

As she embarks on her second year at ETSU, Ross says this trip has prepared her to get more involved on campus. She plans to take leadership roles and attend more international trips. Plus, she’ll continue to do all that she can to prepare for medical school.

“Medicine is service work, and helping others is what I’m focusing on now,” Ross said. “This experience is going to help me transition to medical school, wherever that may be, whenever I graduate from ETSU.”

For more information about Ross’ “Attitude vs. Altitude” lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 12, as well as additional IDEAcademy events and speakers, visit www.ideacademy.com.