Meet Professor Deependra Budhatoki
By: Elizabeth Patrick
I am excited and proud to introduce you to Professor Budhatoki. Budhatoki is a professor here at Defiance College and is in the Teacher Education Program. Budhatoki is native to Nepal.
He was born in Bigu, Dolakha, a rural village in Nepal. Even though Budhatoki was born in Bigu, he was brought up in Bhaktapur. Budhatoki went to Om Secondary School and A.J. Secondary School for his elementary and middle school education. For high school, he attended Classic Academy in Kathmandu. He then did his B.A. with a mathematics major and a population studies minor for Tribhuvan. After that, Budhatoki did his MEd and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in mathematics education from Kathmandu University in Nepal.
He came to the United States in 2017 for his Ph.D. studies. He also did his MeD in Educational Research and Evaluation and Ph.D. in mathematics education from Ohio University.
Budhatoki started teaching as a transitional job and wished to switch his profession after he found an appropriate opportunity. Since he liked working with students and helping them succeed, he continued to teach.
His career started in education when he established an outreach school for dropped-out students. Here he worked as the principal and secondary-level mathematics teacher for eleven years. In addition, he also worked as adjunct faculty at Kathmandu University, where he taught some graduate-level courses. He also worked as a teaching assistant and independently taught some classes at Ohio University.
As he was about to graduate, it was obvious that he would apply to every job that he met the requirements for. He has always wanted to teach independently rather than being mechanized in a larger institution. Therefore, he primarily focused on applying to small institutions like Defiance College. He enjoys the autonomy he has here. Currently here, he is teaching four courses this semester. Two are mathematics method courses for middle and high school pre-service mathematics teachers. The other two courses are Mathematics Content for Elementary Teachers and Advanced Educational Psychology for graduate students.
While he is not teaching, he has to prepare for teaching even when he is not teaching. He also enjoys traveling and engaging with his wife and kids. Also, he is a big fan of socializing; he usually meets his friends and discusses and plays cards. He enjoys teaching here at Defiance College and is excited to see what the future holds for him.
