I met Muna Bhandari at the Voice of America park in Liberty Township. She arrived in a gorgeous royal blue-colored saree with cream-colored, floral-like elements sewn in. Traditional bangles and chandelier earrings fashioned her arms and ears, helping to pull the look together and overall represent the culture she proudly stands behind.

She also brought the book her uncle, Balaraam Poudyal, wrote, “Bhutan Behind the Curtain.” It’s a memoir that details the political and social history of Bhutan, and the oppression of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese – something Muna’s family has experienced over the last few generations.

Our conversation was deep yet balanced – we talked about what the immigration process looks like and all the challenges that come with calling a new country home, as well as the joys of being surrounded by strong, encouraging women.
It was an honor to sit with Muna for an hour, and we’re excited to share her story with you.

Interview by Sophia Epitropoulos. Photography by Chelsie Walter.

Tell me about your childhood and your move to the U.S. – what was that experience like, and what brought you here?

I was born in a refugee camp in Nepal. There was no electricity, so no computers and no information on what was going on in the world. I had books to help me study and gain knowledge, and school was free through a nonprofit organization. I came to the U.S. when I was 16, and my family settled in Chicago. We were there for four years. It was my junior year of high school when we moved. I only knew a little bit of English at the time, but still managed to get a 4.0 GPA, which I’m super proud of myself for.

I got a Gates Millennium Scholarship through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for my undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University. I met my then-boyfriend, now husband, there, and we decided to move to Cincinnati. So we did that, and I did the rest of my undergrad at the University of Cincinnati.

Can you tell me more about your career development, starting from college?

Back in college, I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I was a pre-medical student, doing all my shadowing hours, volunteer hours, and everything that a pre-med student needs to do. After shadowing the PAs, nurses, and doctors, I realized medicine was not for me. But I graduated with a biomedical studies degree, not knowing what to do with it.

I did some research and found that I was really interested in public health, so I got a job at a nonprofit organization and continued my education in that field through the University of New England. I really enjoy the social work part of public health – you know, helping the community, helping people with mental disabilities, their families, and understanding mental health overall.

When I work, I don't want to work for money – I want to make a difference in someone's life.

During COVID, I did an internship at Hamilton County Public Health, which I’m super grateful for because public health played a huge role during that time. I really liked that experience, so after that, I got a job at Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio, where I was a refugee youth mentoring coordinator. I was helping the refugees navigate their time in Cincinnati, encouraging them to go to college, graduate from high school, and find a job – just motivating and being a role model for them. I really liked that job, and I loved the volunteers.

I graduated from the University of New England, not knowing what to do. I did a contract job at the Cincinnati Health Department, which was a nine-to-five job, but my initial youth advocate program was really flexible, and I didn't have to go to an office. The work had me going to communities to help clients. I really didn’t like the nine-to-five work. I had a friend from undergrad who was working at Transitions Behavioral Health (which is where I work now). She told me she started at a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) school and was becoming a BCBA – it sounded like something I also wanted to do. I applied for a job as a behavioral health manager there and got the job, and now I’m doing a certification program to become a certified behavioral analyst. And I really like this job!

I wanted to be a doctor to change people’s lives. Where I come from, there were doctors, but I feel like we needed more skilled doctors because people were dying every day, and that's when I realized I needed to be a doctor. But now, when I'm working at this job, helping with more complex (behavioral) skills, I feel like I'm changing their life. I am teaching them skills. I am going to their house every week, educating parents on what to do in their day-to-day life – because parents are overwhelmed, they need to work, they have a full-time job, etc. When I go to their house, they're happy because I'm there at least one hour each week, and I'm making a difference. So yeah, that's my life. Oh, and in between, I also got married to the love of my life, of course!

How has your experience as a refugee impacted the work you do today?

When I was in a refugee camp, I only knew about diseases and chronic conditions, but I didn't know about mental health. I didn't know there were such things as autism or depression, or ADHD because it was taboo. When someone would say, “I'm stressed out,” they would say, “Okay, relax, take a deep breath, you are gonna be fine.” And nobody understood the mental health portion of it. But as I am working in this field, as I am starting to become a behavioral health analyst, I feel like it's most needed, not only in Nepal or in refugee camps, but throughout the world. Because being a doctor, you are changing someone's life, curing the disease, but also when you are improving someone’s mental health, that's when you are curing the root of the disease.

Can you tell me more about your involvement with Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio?

I was a refugee youth mentoring coordinator, helping refugee kids, mostly from Congo, in the Congolese community. It’s hard to navigate America in the beginning, so when I got that opportunity, I thought I could be a role model for the kids. I was also working with volunteers, helping them understand the cultural aspect and helping them understand the mental health piece of being a refugee. When I work, I don't want to work for money – I want to make a difference in someone's life. As a refugee youth mentoring coordinator, I was working with high school kids, and some of them had graduated from high school, but they were trying to figure out if they wanted to work full-time or if they wanted to go to college, so I was helping them navigate and making them understand how important getting a college degree is. And then making them understand you can still work part-time, too. My main motto for them was to get an education, and once they have a bachelor's degree, they are going to get a good job.

What are some of the challenges you see that you wish people knew about in your field?

I have an accent, and English is not my first language. It’s challenging because people look at me differently because I don't look like them, and also because of the language barrier. People might think that if I have an accent, I might not provide the same services as other people who can speak English fluently. With my job, my supervisors are also immigrants, so they understand where I come from.

At my job, we are trying to provide quality services to kids, and sometimes parents are not hand-in-hand with us because we are only there to provide services once a week. Sometimes the parent does not implement the intervention that we give them, and they don't see the result, and they’ll say, “Hey, you have been here for months, and we are not seeing the results.” I have to go back and tell them that I’m only here once a week, but we’re all a team, so if you don’t implement the intervention every day, we’re not going to reach our goals. I think that's challenging for parents because they’re overwhelmed and they have a lot of things going on. They want to see better results and improvements right away.

What do you wish people knew about underserved populations or the refugee community in itself?

Even though we may have an accent, we are also educated people, and we went through the same education as other people, and we can provide the same services as other people who can speak English fluently. I wish people would understand that we don't only speak English, but we can also speak many different languages.

How can our readers help the refugee community here in Cincinnati?

You can start with Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio – there are a bunch of volunteering opportunities. [Editor's note: You can also check out Heartfelt Tidbits and Tikkun Farm – both run by past Women of Cincy interviewees!]

What's something that you're really proud of at work and non-work related?

Even though I work full-time, I’m also studying to become a BCBA.

I’m really proud of how I manage my time, but I think it’s also because my husband is so supportive. Being married, I have a whole family, and we have different events going on – we get invited for dinners and everything, and even with that and with the traveling we have done this summer, I feel like I'm managing my work and school.

What do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?

I like to walk here at the Voices of America park. I like to travel – my husband and I travel a lot. I didn't like to cook before I was married, but now we explore different kinds of food and we cook together. I’m a hopeless romantic, so I love watching romantic movies and series on Netflix.

Who is a woman or gender expansive person who has impacted your life or inspired you?

My mom. I have always seen her working. She was a teacher in Nepal. Even though she didn't graduate from college, she was an English teacher. She always tells us this story – in Nepal, women are not supposed to work, yet she educated people. I think my dad was also really supportive – both of my parents were teachers back in Nepal. And they traveled to different places in Nepal just to provide a good education for us. She always inspires me to work hard. No matter what, you have to achieve your dreams.

Another woman is my grandmother, my mom's mom. Even though she was not educated, she fully supported my grandfather's journey. He was a political leader. I think if my grandmother were not in the background, he would not be able to achieve everything in his life. And we would not be able to be raised this gracefully. And if she didn't provide that good parenting to my parents, to my mom and uncles and aunts, I would not be here. I would not be this person today.

And also, my mother-in-law, because I love her. In our culture, they say that you don't get along with your mother-in-law, but I love my mother-in-law so much. She's so supportive of my decisions and everything in my life. She used to live in a village in Bhutan, and she didn't even go to school. When you come to the United States, you have to do a citizenship exam to become a naturalized citizen. She worked hard, she studied, and she also learned how to write in English. She passed the exam, so I'm really proud of her for that.

All these women in my life motivate me. I feel like I am inspired by everyone in my life, all of my girlfriends, my friends, and my co-workers. They’re all strong women, and they motivate me.

Muna Bhandari on the Joys of Community and Following Your Dreams