Where Love Leads: From Personal Loss to Purpose

The lasting bond between a child and her grandparents comes to life in the story of Sanskruti Brahmbhatt, a 2025  graduate of Seton Hall University. Raised in a multigenerational, Indian American household, Brahmbhatt grew up surrounded by care and support, especially from her grandparents who played a central role in her daily life while her parents were at work. She shared an especially close connection to her grandfather, who helped with school drop-offs, afternoon snacks and bedtime stories. Their time together shaped her childhood in lasting ways.   

Brahmbhatt’s story is featured in the latest installment of the Guiding Values video project, as six-part series that brings to life the principles at the heart of Seton Hall’s mission and its current strategic plan. Through personal, first-hand accounts from students, staff and alumni, the series explores how values such as faith, love, integrity, compassion, resilience and courage are lived out across the University community.  Rooted in the example of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, our patroness, the series reflects how her legacy continues to inspire meaningful action and purpose today.

In this video, Brahmbhatt shares how her grandfather’s illness became a turning point. When she was in eighth grade, he was diagnosed with colon cancer after years of managing diabetes. She became a steady presence at his side, accompanying him to medical appointments and helping translate so that he could communicate with his healthcare team. After he passed away, she turned her grief into purpose, setting her on a path toward a career in medicine that began at Seton Hall.  

As a biology student, Brahmbhatt pursued award-winning research focused on a photodynamic molecule called phthalocyanine, which is activated by light to target and break down cancer cells  The work reflects her long-term goal of advancing more precise, effective cancer treatments.

“One of the things that I really do believe in is that love isn’t just words, but it’s the things that we do.  It’s the actions that we take,” Brahmbhatt shares in the video.  “My story with my grandfather didn’t just end in the grief that was him passing away. It also translated into the purpose of me wanting to go into the medical world, becoming a doctor, researching this disease and hoping to find a cure.”

Now preparing for medical school, Brahmbhatt works as a scribe in an emergency department, documenting patient histories for physicians.  In moments that echo her experience with her grandfather, she is often able to serve as a translator for patients, offering comfort in their native language.  “Those moments remind me of him and why I am doing this,” she says.

Brahmbhatt’s story is a powerful reflection of the Guiding Values series’ central message: that love and action are not abstract ideals but lived commitments that are expressed in perseverance through loss and the pursuit of a better future.

Click here to watch the video. 

Categories: Alumni, Health and Medicine, Research