Ranjan John's Global Education Broadens his View of the World

Published: Oct 28, 2025

Ranjan John grew up in Dubai, went to school with British teachers and now studies in Utah. His path to college has been anything but typical.

John, 18, is quickly adjusting to college life not just away from family, but in another country entirely. Speaking with him, no one would guess he is from a nation almost 8,000 miles away. He is an outgoing person, something he has learned from moving to a country where he didn’t know anyone. 

John was born to Indian parents who immigrated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. His parents had moved from India, where they had met in an arranged marriage. “That’s just the culture there,” he said. 

John has one older brother and one older sister, born and raised in Dubai. In Dubai, public school is “not really a thing.” Because of this, Ranjan attended a “private British school” for this primary and secondary education. 

The teachers at this school were “a lot of people from Europe, some Americans, some Canadians.” Because of this, he was able to receive an extremely diverse education. He also believes this is where his global accent stems from. 

Now a student at the University of Utah, John is studying political science and geographic information science (GIS). He chose this school because “the US had always interested me, since I was a kid.” John said, “I traveled a lot, and the US just stood out.” 

“Back home, it’s like an authoritarian state, and over here it’s a democracy,” John said. “You can see it in everything, from the media … to the way everyone engages in politics.”

John chose Utah specifically because of the outdoors. “There’s just so much more to Utah than just school,” John said. He had never been to Utah when he decided to attend the U for college. “I came here, for the first time, alone at the age of 17.” 

He chose to study political science because it is “a really good field to be in right now, just because of how chaotic the world is.” He feels politics is “an AI-proof industry.”

Ranjan’s goal in combining political science with GIS is to “have a unique second major for law school applications.” He was recommended this strategy by many college counselors. He says, “it makes you stand out.” 

With this expertise, John wants to work in environmental law. “The insights you can give as a lawyer just split you apart from everyone else.” John is working towards both degrees with aspirations to continue studying in the US and eventually practicing law here.