When Dreams Abroad Turn Heavy: The Tragic Story and the Silent Mental Health Crisis of International Students

“I’m a Master’s student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at University of California, Berkeley, with an undergraduate degree from IIT Madras. I’m passionate about deep-tech innovations in soft and active materials, semiconductors, and advanced materials.”

This is how Saketh Sreenivasaiah’s LinkedIn profile reads. He was a 22-year-old Indian international student pursuing higher education in the United States. On February 14th, his body was recovered from Lake Anza in Tilden Regional Park, days after he was last reportedly seen. His backpack, containing his passport and laptop, was found on a doorstep in the area.

Every year, children from all over the world travel far from home to advance their academic and professional journeys. A majority grow up sheltered among the care of loved family members and are expected to grow up overnight. In the name of adulting, they must start taking care of themselves in unfamiliar countries, cultures, and systems. The rigor, expectations, and obligations to themselves and to the families who sacrificed for them can suddenly become overwhelming.

In his final days, Saketh’s roommate once saw him returning from class wearing a red bathrobe. When asked why he wore it to class, Saketh had replied,

“I’ve stopped caring, man. I’m cold and I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I don’t care about anything.”

It is a devastating red flag in hindsight.

So often in their college journeys, young people get lost and even lose the confidence to seek help when things get hard. Especially when they are international students, they don’t want to burden their parents with their worries, especially from 1000’s of miles away.

Beyond the pressure of academics, these students experience financial stressors, visa uncertainties, cultural dislocation, isolation, and loneliness. And for boys especially, there is an added burden, the inability to admit they are struggling. The silent expectations of parents and communities often seem to communicate one message — you will do just fine, if you try to assimilate and adjust.

Instead of conversations centered only on achievement, we should be checking on wellbeing. Nothing matters more than physical and mental health. As parents, caregivers, and communities, we must build ecosystems of safety around our children — so they don’t just succeed, but survive and thrive. We must assure them that setbacks are not a sign of personal failure.

Sreenivasaiah’s alma mater, IIT Madras, remembers him this way:

“He was a kind, humble, and grounded person — approachable in every sense, and someone who consistently showed up with quiet dedication and sincerity. To everyone who worked with him at E-Cell IIT Madras, he was not only dependable and hardworking, but also genuinely warm and thoughtful in the way he treated people.

 

He played an integral role in shaping the organization during his time at IIT Madras, especially through his efforts in setting up and strengthening the Growth and Strategic Initiatives vertical — work that continues to impact E-Cell and the community we serve.”

I read that his parents are on their way to claim his body. And the most immediate, painful truth is this, we do not know why and how he died (yet). Thinking about Sreenivasaiah’s final days makes me wonder how his parents must be haunted by questions about his last thoughts.

For me, as a stranger and as a mother, his loss feels like the loss of immense future potential. A life that carried promise, brilliance, kindness, and possibility — gone far too soon.

We have so much work to do as a society to truly take care of our young. 💔

– 0 –