Full circle: International UK grad continues journey as Wildcat

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 21, 2025) — For Pallavi Raichur, the University of Kentucky has always been a home away from home. Originally from Bengaluru, India, Raichur became the third member of her family to graduate from UK in May 2022. After earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration, she decided to continue her education at UK, earning her master’s degree in finance in 2023.

Now, she serves in a finance role within UK’s College of Medicine. For Raichur, working for UK has been a full circle moment.

“I feel like UK has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Raichur said. “It’s been such a huge part of my family’s life for so long. For me to now work for the university is just really amazing. When I was younger, I always wanted to attend UK, but I never imagined being here as long as I have been and getting to do so many different things here.”

Raichur's father, Ashok Raichur, became the first in the family to graduate from UK in the early 1990s, when he earned his master’s degree in materials engineering. From there, the connection between the family and the University of Kentucky continued to grow.

At UK, Ashok Raichur found a supportive environment and the perfect community for an international student to grow and learn.

“He always talked about how great UK was,” Raichur said. “He truly fell in love with this place, the Lexington community, everything here. As the time came, first for my sister and then me, to apply to colleges, he kept talking about how great it was here. He was right, though.”

When the time came for Raichur's older sister to apply to college, there was only one destination she envisioned.

“She knew she would go to UK,” Raichur said. “She loved her time here. She was just constantly sending me pictures, texts, calling me to tell me all the amazing things she was doing, the people she was meeting, and all that she was learning in her classes. I was so jealous.”

Eventually, Raichur would have the opportunity to follow in her family members’ footsteps by attending UK for her education. As she progressed in her studies at UK, Raichur continued to grow, becoming more extroverted and engaged, stepping into leadership roles across campus.

At UK, Raichur served as president of the International Student Council, a peer tutor, peer mentor for the International Village Living Learning Program, Gatton Ambassador, International Student Ambassador, Parent and Family Ambassador, and as a member of the International Student Leadership Team. She was also a finalist for the 2022 Sullivan Award, which is awarded to two outstanding graduates in recognition of their character, integrity and humanitarian service.

After finishing her bachelor’s degree, Raichur decided to continue her studies in the Gatton College of Business and Economics by completing a master’s degree in finance.

“My senior year I took my first finance course at UK, and it just clicked for me,” Raichur said. “I wanted to learn more, so I decided to stay and complete my master’s degree. I learned so much during that time, in corporate finance as well as accounting and personal finance.”

After she finished her master’s degree, she wanted to gain more experience in finance and accepted an administrative position with the College of Medicine.

“I’ve been blessed to gain so much experience and knowledge here at UK. This is the next evolution in that for me. Now, I’m using the skills I’ve learned in the workplace and kickstarting my career.”

Raichur aspires to a career in personal and family finance.

“It’s the ability to help people that really inspires me,” she said. “I want to be able to work with families and watch them grow financially.”

Raichur gives back to UK in other ways, serving on panels during International Student Career Days, which are seminars for UK’s international students focused on career-readiness after graduation.

“Being able to be just a small part of helping my fellow international students think about what they want in a career and figure out that next step is really fun,” she said. “I’ve been very blessed to have people around me and have that support system here at UK. The least I can do is try to be part of the support system for future students like me.”