Have you ever wanted to meet a real version of Chandler Bing from “Friends”? Let Her Campus introduce you to Shalin Shah, a junior from Troy, Michigan. A Red Wings and Detroit fan — but not a Michigan fan — Shalin is incredibly involved on campus and is working hard to fulfill his dream of going to dental school after graduating from Miami. Keep reading to get-to-know more about this fun-loving (and hilarious) cutie!
Hometown: Troy, MichiganYear in School: JuniorMajor(s): Zoology with a Neuroscience MinorRelationship Status: SingleCool Fact: My parents had their arranged marriage on Valentine’s Day, but they didn’t know it was a special day before coming to America.Birthday: December 21
Her Campus: What is your favorite food?Shalin Shah: Pizza. You can’t go wrong with that.
HC: What toppings would you put on your pizza?SS: I’m a vegetarian, so… it kind-of depends. Sometimes I’ll go straight cheese, and sometimes I like green peppers, onions and pineapple. It’s a very odd combination.
HC: Do you have a favorite artist, band or genre of music?SS: I listen to a variety of music but my favorite band is Young the Giant. They’re not extremely well-known but they’re moving up the charts from what I can see. I’ve seen them three times live and they get better every time. I’m looking forward to hearing their next album and seeing them again.
HC: Do you have a favorite movie?SS: Anything Will Ferrell-related. I love Will Ferrell movies, like “The Other Guys” is one of my favorite movies, “Step Brothers”, “Talladega Nights.” I’m a big comedy person myself, so those are all funny for me.
HC: Favorite place to eat Uptown?SS: Chipotle. It’s a classic.
HC: What are you involved with on campus?SS: I’m a tour guide, student Senator and on the club tennis team, so I travel a lot with that. Indian Student Association—something I’m really involved with as well. I’m also an Acropolis mentor; it’s a Greek leadership conference they have in the fall, so I was a mentor there, so I do a lot with the Greek office too. I was a Beta, so I am a Beta Alumnus, technically, so I just do work through that.
HC: Do you have a dream job?SS: If I could do anything currently, I would probably go into acting. I get a chance to act during the Indian Student Association Diwali shows and I enjoy doing that very much. If I could do something out of the box, I think I’d enjoy being a skydiving instructor out in Kauai. I got to travel there last summer with my family and it’s pretty amazing out there.
HC: What’s the best class you’ve ever taken at Miami?SS: I‘ve taken a lot of classes that were interesting but my best class experience was when I was in Luxembourg last summer. Being able to take Theatre, Music, and Marketing classes and learning about things that we were able to travel to was an unbelievable experience.
HC: What is your favorite thing to do on a Friday night?SS: Broken clock is a great way to start Friday night and then dinner with the guys after that is usually the way to go. Whatever happens after that pretty much depends week-by-week.
HC: What TV show character would you say best describes you?SS: Chandler Bing from “Friends”. He is a funny guy, very quick to make jokes, and the fact that he has those funny moments while also being a very logical person is something I see in myself.
HC: What’s the corniest pick-up line you’ve ever used?SS: “Do you have a little Indian in you?” Then she said no, so I asked “do you want one?” 0% success rate on that so far but fingers crossed for the future.
HC: Who is your role model?SS: I have a few role models in my life but the first one is my grandfather. He started working at a very young age to provide for his family and never complained a day in his life. He has an extraordinary work ethic which is something I admire. Also my great uncle who was the first person in my family to come to America from India. He decided to apply to school out here, got his masters, and once he started working and found a place to live, he slowly housed his brothers and sisters from India until they got jobs and could live on their own with their families. He encouraged the entire family to come to America and if it weren’t for him my father wouldn’t be in America and I might not be in America today which is something I am very thankful for. The courage it must have taken to do that is something I truly admire.
HC: What qualities do you most admire in a friend?SS: I admire loyalty. When you have people in your life that don’t pass judgment and have your back no matter what you’re going through or the decisions you’ve made, it’s a great feeling. It’s a two-way street though so when you’re able to have those friendships built on loyalty, that’s something great.
HC: Would you say you have one best friend or a group of guys you call your best friends?SS: I definitely have a group of guys that are my best friends. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of great people at college and from home. If I had to get married right now, picking just 5 or 6 groomsmen would be a real struggle for me. But I’m thankful for the fact that I’d have a hard time doing so.
HC: What qualities do you find most attractive in a girl?SS: A girl with passion is extremely attractive to me. She can be passionate about her major, her career, sports, animals, a hobby, etc. Talking to a girl that speaks passionately about the things she enjoys is much more refreshing than someone who has the looks but nothing to talk about. If I feel that they’re passionate about something and I can see that, I respect that and I find that very attractive.
HC: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?SS: I would want to go back to Spain. I’d like to travel very lightly and go all over the country. I would see soccer games in Barcelona, go to festivals, maybe La Tomatina in Buñol, or running with the bulls in Pamplona. There’s a lot of culture in Spain, great people, plenty to do and being able to speak Spanish makes it enticing to me as well.