She’s not quite a “celebrity” Ayn Rand fan — at least, not yet — but the beautiful and talented Indian-born IT executive Himanshu Bhatia begins the interesting story of her professional life by acknowledging the influence of The Fountainhead:
WHEN I was a teenager living in New Delhi, I read “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand and decided I wanted to be an architect. My parents wanted me to be a doctor, but I stood my ground and took the entrance exam to study architecture.
Admission to college is very competitive in India, especially for a professional degree. At the time, there were about 2,000 students competing for about 28 openings in the School of Planning and Architecture. I was one of six women admitted.
I have a history of doing unconventional things. After I graduated from college, I saw an ad for a beauty contest and entered it for fun. I had no expectations. I grew up in a family where girls were encouraged not to attract attention to themselves, so this was more a rebellious act than any desire to win. To my surprise, I came in second. I was offered a modeling contract, but I had bigger plans. I left for the United States two months later.
See her full story in the New York Times for more.