One of my earliest memories which I remember with a photographic detail is of my father when I was around six years, We were in our kitchen and he held up a drinking glass and asked me, “What would happen if I left this glass mid-air?”, When I said that it would fall down, he quizzed, “Why does the glass always have to fall down, why can’t it hover or move in any other direction?”. I was stumped and when my father explained the intricacies of gravity and the Earth, I felt enlightened, like I reached a new level in a video game. Ever since, I’ve been a very inquisitive person who sought to learn new things which make me feel that I've found a new level.

Fortunately, I am blessed with enthusiastic parents who were equally patient and involved enough to introduce me to varied range of concepts right from Hindu mythology to yoga to even Formula-1 Racing cars. Over the years, inspired from my parents, I've developed a concept of asking myself "How would I teach/introduce this concept to someone else?" to approach learning new things. Even in my undergraduate studies, I learnt most CS concepts in this manner, it has certainly made my learning more engaging and interesting. My plan to pursue graduate studies forms a part of my goals to lead an innovation and research center with the hope of inspiring many more young enthusiastic minds like myself to pursue a career in research. I plan to do so overseas, in a country like the United States where I can experience growing more independently and at the same time, becoming a part of a foreign society while pursuing my academic research interests. I plan to do so overseas, in a world class institution where I can learn from, and with some of the best scholars this world has to offer.

For the past two years, I've been teaching freshman undergraduate students computer programming in C and Python initially in my personal capacity, now as a TA for the computer engineering department. I believe good programming nurtures logical reasoning and systematic thinking to approach problems, both in class and in real life. I also guide my juniors who are interested in competitive programming and those who come up to me for advice on their projects. 

Alongside academics, I was actively involved with my institute's Social Service Group during my freshman and sophomore years of college. I was part of the division which focused on Healthcare and Hygiene, specifically, I worked to educate the local rural population about the necessity of maintaining hygienic surroundings and personal habits. We helped them understand basic government policies pertaining to healthcare. It was during this time that me, and a few like-minded classmates, won first prize at Designception, an inter-college product design competition for an innovative conceptualization of portable sanitary napkin incinerator which we want to install in our institute's dormitories for girls to promote safer and more hygienic practices. Additionally, I volunteered and organized several clean-up drives along highways and local beaches. Currently, I'm less involved with the social service group owing to increased coursework and other interests, but I make sure to donate blood at least once every six months. In conclusion, I believe I will contribute to the diversity and the cultural mosaic of UC Davis in my own small way.