Rutgers Senior Transfers Lessons From the Cricket Field to the Classroom for Success

As a professional cricket player and coach, Rutgers senior Deep Joshi learned the importance of teamwork, which helped him succeed in the classroom, as well as on the field.

“Cricket is a team game of 11 players where they need to bond together to win the game. Likewise, in an academic environment, you're working in a group and you need that ability to produce proper teamwork, to be able to finish a project, finish a proper presentation,” said Joshi, 22, who will graduate in May with a degree in healthcare administration.

Joshi’s cricket career started as a pre-teen when he joined a statewide youth league. He advanced to the United States Under 19 National Cricket Team where his team competed in the International Cricket Council Under 19 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in 2019. His team placed second, while the top-ranked team qualified for the ICC U19 2020 World Cup in South Africa.

“It was a dream to represent the red-white-and-blue. Putting that jersey on was like a dream come true,” said Joshi, who now competes in cricket’s minor leagues as a domestic professional, and in national championships at the men’s and under 23 level. “Playing for your country at the highest level was an honor.”

Off the field, Joshi is pursuing his interest in working in the healthcare industry as a student in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and also an affinity for business. He added a Rutgers public health minor because of his desire to make healthcare more accessible to people, old and young. “Patients need administrators and healthcare professionals to make their lives much more cost effective and easier,” said Joshi.

Joshi chose Rutgers because he believed it offered the best program in healthcare administration and public health. Preferring an in-state school, Joshi also liked Rutgers’ large student body, which offers abundant networking opportunities. “It gives you the ability to connect with people and learn more about what they're doing and they can learn from me as well. You never know where in the future that this can come in handy–all these connections and networks that you make,” Joshi said.

That relish for connecting with people led Joshi to launch a TEDx conference in 2023 in Hightstown, where he grew up. It was the town’s first TEDx conference – Joshi said he wanted to “put Hightstown on the global map.” Developing a theme of “The New Era,” Joshi aimed to educate his community, especially younger people, and inspire them through the power of live talks. Given the international reach of TEDx, Joshi also wanted to empower youth at a global scale.

“Hearing it live, you get to emotionally connect with the speaker in the sense that they're much more expressive. You can hear their tones, and that just creates a different outlook. Whereas with a book, you can't hear the person, you can't hear their expressions,” he said. “You don't hear anyone's voice, you're just reading words. No matter how many exclamation points they put in a book, it doesn't matter.”

In January, Joshi received a Congressional Certificate from Congressman Andy Kim. The honor recognized Joshi “for his accomplishments representing our nation and community on the United States National Cricket Team and his work creating opportunity for professional and creative dialogue in our community as founder of TEDx Hightstown,” according to a release from Kim’s office.

Besides playing cricket, Joshi also started coaching ages five to 16 in 2022 after being certified by the International Cricket Council. “I have learned that each student has his own way of learning, not everyone's going to be the same. So you have to take unique approaches to them,” said Joshi. “If other people are also able to expand on their game with my knowledge, skills and experiences, I couldn't be happier.”

Shawn Ekwall, a lecturer who was Joshi’s professor for “Introduction to Health Administration,” said the student was a joy to work with.

“Deep is an exceptional student with a high scholarly acumen and a unique ability to synthesize new information, seamlessly applying it to assignment submissions in a thoughtful way that drives classmate engagement and discussion,” said Ekwall.

Joshi wants to pursue a master’s degree, likely in business administration or healthcare administration after graduation. Long-term, his goal is to secure an executive position in a hospital, health organization or corporate business. Joshi will bring to his career not only his Rutgers degree but the commitment that made him a top-notch cricket player.

“I've learned how important work ethic and dedication are to be able to succeed at the highest level. If you want to be professional, how important it is to do those gym sessions, not skip a day, make sure you attend the practices, make sure you're doing practice on your own,” said Joshi. “All these things contribute and the outcome is, if you do it properly, you have a chance to make it at the highest level possible.”