Her parents immigrated to the United States from India, married young, and built businesses of their own. Neither had the opportunity to attend college, but from the time they had children, they were determined to give them the educational opportunities they never had.

“My mom and dad are very education-forward,” Nidhi said. “They didn’t get to have a good high school or college experience. Neither of them went to college, so it’s just been their dream ever since they had kids to really have us focus on school and get a good education.”

Her mother took that responsibility seriously. As the family moved from Evanston, Wyoming, to northern Utah, she researched schools and sought out private and charter options whenever possible. By the time Nidhi reached high school, NUAMES felt like a natural next step.

For Nidhi, already interested in science and medicine, it offered something more: a chance to turn an ambition into a plan.

An Education They Never Had

Nidhi grew up knowing she wanted to pursue medicine. Attending her traditional boundary high school would have been the more conventional choice, but many students in her academic community were choosing NUAMES.

The combination of STEM education and the opportunity to begin college while still in high school appealed to both Nidhi and her parents.

It also meant doing something different.

Nidhi attended the NUAMES Davis campus in Layton, commuting from Fruit Heights rather than attending nearby Davis High School. She quickly found herself in an environment where academics were taken seriously, and students had unusual access to college-level opportunities.

NUAMES currently describes its model as a rigorous yet supportive early college experience built around its partnership with Weber State University, allowing students to begin university coursework while still in high school.

For Nidhi, however, the most important part of the experience wasn't simply getting ahead academically.

It was the people.

More Than an Academic Head Start

Nidhi remembers teachers who treated their students’ success as something personal.

“I remember every professor being available after school to help with anything challenging,” she said. “To me, it felt like my teachers were actually invested in my success.”

That investment extended beyond grades.

Nidhi became involved in student government, serving in multiple leadership roles, including vice president. Those experiences taught her how to organize events, listen to other students, and act as a bridge between students, teachers, and administrators.

Her teachers also pushed her in less obvious ways.

She remembers Diana Bass, her history teacher, as someone whose passion could make students care about a subject even when it wasn't naturally interesting to them. Nidhi came to see that as a lesson that extended far beyond history.

“Being able to give priority to things that you have no interest in is actually so important,” she said.

That combination of academic challenge and personal investment shaped how Nidhi thinks about mentorship.

To Nidhi, the most meaningful mentors see students as more than names on a class roster.

“I think there’s a lot of value in that mentor-mentee relationship beyond academics,” she said. “Yes, they want you to do well in school, but I think developing as a person and how you play a role in your community, in your family, and in your future careers is really, really big.”

Opportunity Builds on Opportunity

By the time Nidhi graduated from NUAMES in 2018, she had already earned an associate of science degree from Weber State University.

For the daughter of two parents who never had the opportunity to attend college, earning a college degree before receiving her high school diploma carried particular significance.

It also changed the way Nidhi thought about what she could accomplish.

“At a young age, that achievement is a catalyst for your self-confidence, your self-esteem, knowing what you can achieve and pursue,” she said. “It just starts the ball rolling.”

And for Nidhi, it kept rolling.

She attended the University of Utah, earning a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a minor in pediatric research. She later completed a master's degree in biomedical sciences in California and is now a medical student in Montana.

Along the way, she spent roughly three and a half years working at Huntsman Cancer Hospital, an experience that helped shape her interest in oncology.

Today, she hopes to become an oncologist.

As a high school student, her goal was to pursue this career.