From Professor to Proud Father

For years, commencement at the University of Houston-Clear Lake was familiar territory for Dr. Uttam Pokharel.

As an associate professor of chemistry in UHCL’s College of Science and Engineering, he had watched countless students prepare to cross the stage. He had attended ceremonies as faculty, celebrated graduates from the audience, and experienced the excitement that fills the arena each spring.

But this year felt different.

This time, his daughter, Shradha Pokharel, was among the graduates.

“We all went together as a family in the same car,” Shradha said. “That was definitely a very special and unique moment for me because it’s like I am graduating, but then also my dad is in his regalia as a faculty member. So it’s both of us going together.”

For Uttam, the moment carried years of memories with it.

“I remember all those days when she was going to her first class, first school day, up to that point,” he said. “I memorized all those events, all those dates. That was very special for me. It was emotional.”

The journey that brought them both to UHCL started long before commencement day.

Shradha was about three years old when the family came to the United States from Nepal while Uttam pursued his academic career. Over the years, the family moved to different cities as his career evolved, eventually leading them to UHCL.

“Wherever I took her, she adapted,” Uttam said. “That is her qualification.”

By the time Shradha arrived at UHCL as a student, higher education was already a familiar part of her life. She had grown up watching her father teach, conduct research, and attend professional chemistry conferences. Those experiences helped spark her own interest in science.

“I was always very interested in chemistry as a child,” she said. “As early as third or fourth grade, I started memorizing the periodic table.”

That interest continued to grow through high school and into college, eventually leading her toward organic chemistry and work as a tutor helping fellow students navigate one of science’s more challenging subjects.

“I definitely felt a very big passion toward organic chemistry,” she said. “I hope I can share that passion with my students and help them break down the concepts better.”

Today, Shradha is preparing for her next step: applying to pharmacy school, where she hopes to combine her love of chemistry with her desire to help others through healthcare.

For Uttam, seeing his daughter pursue a path connected to science has been a source of pride, particularly because he said her success has always been driven by her own determination.

“She is a very honest student and very hardworking,” he said. “Even if we live in the same house, she was never dependent on my help academically. Typically, she does not ask those types of things.”

Despite sharing the same campus and even the same discipline, both father and daughter said they intentionally maintained professional boundaries at the university.

“She used to call me ‘doctor’ while she was in class, and I treated her in the same way,” Uttam said. “We completely maintained the professional distance when we were on campus.”

Shradha agreed.

“I didn’t really see it as, ‘Oh, my dad is up there teaching,’” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, Doctor Pokharel is up there teaching.’”

Outside the classroom, however, the relationship shifted naturally back to father and daughter. The two often traveled to campus together, sharing rides and daily routines that became part of their experience at UHCL.

“I think it’s also the little things,” Shradha said. “Going in the same car together and coming back home in the same car together. Those are also memories that we have.”

During commencement, one of those moments became especially meaningful for her.

“As soon as I came into the arena, I was looking over and trying to find my family members,” she said. “Of course, I also tried to find my dad. He was sitting at the very front.”

Later, as she crossed the stage, she spotted him again.

“He was recording me at that time as I was getting my diploma,” she said.

For Uttam, the ceremony represented more than a graduation. It was the culmination of years spent watching his daughter grow both personally and academically.

“As a professor, I deal with several students,” he said. “It gave me an opportunity to closely observe where my child is academically and understand her real potential.”

When asked to describe each other in just one word, their answers reflected the qualities they most admired.

“Hardworking,” Shradha said of her father.

“Adaptable,” Uttam said of his daughter.

Together, those qualities helped shape a journey that brought both father and daughter to the same commencement stage, each experiencing the moment from a different perspective, but sharing the same pride in how far they had come.