Senate Resolution No. 1568

BY: Senator KAPLAN

CONGRATULATING Devashish Basnet upon the occasion
of being named a 2022 Rhodes Scholar

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those young people within this great Empire State who
have achieved outstanding educational success and serve as role models
for their peers; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
congratulate Devashish Basnet upon the occasion of being named a 2022
Rhodes Scholar; and

WHEREAS, The Rhodes Scholarship is a prestigious international
postgraduate award which allows its chosen recipients to study at the
renowned Oxford University in England; each year, this highly
competitive scholarship is awarded to 32 students within the United
States and approximately 100 worldwide; and

WHEREAS, Devashish Basnet, affectionately known as Dave, graduated
from Hicksville High School in Hicksville, New York, before majoring in
political science at Hunter College of the City University of New York,
where he is currently a senior; and

WHEREAS, The son of Ravi and Phurba Sherpa Basnet, 21-year-old
Devashish Basnet is a first-generation college student whose family fled
Nepal to seek political asylum in the United States when he was just
seven years old; and

WHEREAS, As the proud recipient of this most auspicious scholarship,
Devashish Basnet plans to study refugee and forced migration as well as
public policy during his time at Oxford University; this extraordinary
young man hopes to help shape a more flexible and humane immigration
policy in the United States; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his family history, Devashish Basnet's
academic interest in immigration was sparked by an internship he
completed with the International Rescue Committee in Arizona in 2019,
during which time he witnessed a teen at the southern border helping his
parents navigate the immigration process; and

WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by an
individual for the benefit of others which Devashish Basnet continues to
display throughout his life; and

WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his parents and his sister,
Rani, all of whom feel privileged to be a part of his life and rejoice
in his many achievements; and

WHEREAS, Poised eagerly with enthusiasm and determined purpose,
Devashish Basnet, in achieving this high academic honor, may take just
pride in the inspiration and contribution to the spirit of excellence he

brings to his family, friends, school and community; now, therefore, be
it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate Devashish Basnet upon the occasion of being named a 2022
Rhodes Scholar, and extend to him its best wishes for a future of
purposeful success and well-being and appreciative of the model he
represents for all aspiring young people of the Empire State; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Devashish Basnet.