PhD Journey: Kick-Off
“You are a brave girl” They said when they heard about my PhD admission
Summer of 2021 I was sitting all alone scrolling through my Instagram, looking at my LinkedIn feed, pushing a like button on my Facebook feed. Lost in the conundrums of personal goals and wanting to live the definition of perfect social life, a young 26-year-old girl was lost in her dreams to aspire more in her life. Studying abroad was her dream since childhood. Well, life had other plans earlier and after completing her bachelors and masters degree in computer science and engineering she started working as Assistant Professor at a college in India. She always thought that she was worthy enough to achieve any dream she dreams, but always faced constraints either due to finances or one problem or the other. But she never stopped working hard. She worked hard to crack an amazing research internship, kept on learning new technologies and imparting knowledge and education to as many as students she could.
She had this fire within her soul to study more and live life to the maximum potential possible. She was working but didn't feel satisfied and wanted to take a leap of faith. She wanted to go abroad and taste the cake of global cultures, expand her horizons and learn as much as she can. With the growing age and living in India, potentially society would definitely be expected me to settle down with the next few years. Being a woman in India you do have to cross so many gates in order to fulfil your dreams. Well, I am not generalizing the scenario in India. Not all face similar situations but this was what I felt and have observed within the societal circle I was living. So while planning my next phase of life, she had to think so many things and pass through many barriers. Because she was planning for a PhD in another country which was not a 2 or 1-year course but a 4-year program. Getting a scholarship was her priority to live her life. She was not applying for jobs since she wanted a major shift and to do world-class research. Suddenly one day I was scrolling through my LinkedIn and I came across Ml Labs PhD program notification. But somehow her heart said. “Oh come on these scholarships are for highly prestigious students”. I believe that we all have this thought naturally whenever we see a job posting or any other good opportunity. She somehow saved this link and kept on thinking about applying for the same. Suddenly one day, I had this urge to fill up the form, without thinking about the end result.
We all should be fearless and just apply when see or come across any opportunity. We all should trust the knowledge that we have acquired over the years and always try to move forward in our lives.
She filled out the application form with full honesty and just kept on going with my life. She kept on wishing and visualizing how my life would be when she live what she dreams about. For her, this was really a big opportunity to pursue PhD in Machine Learning. One amazing thing about this PhD is that it has industry collaboration along with academics. This was what she always dreamt about and this was like a wish come true. A few months passed and then one day she got a mail. She finally made it to the first round. Her heart was racing, her soul was beaming. With all the passion she cleared the first round and then the second and then finally made it to cohort 3.0. All though I have missed many details will share them in another blog post. But this journey was not easy. This girl I am talking about is not anyone else, but me.
I really admire the Ml Labs amazing BootCamp that they organize for the PhD students. Although my PhD program kicked off in remote mode. But soon I will be at TU Dublin ML labs in Ireland. The Bootcamp program is a perfect blend of industry and academia. I never felt like I was not in touch with them. The interaction was students and people from each nook and corner of the world made me realize no matter from which part of the world you are maths and science connects people, no matter what language you speak or from any culture you belong to. Well, PhD is 4 year-long journey, it has just been a few months since I have entered a new phase of my life. I met a lot of people some people inspired me to travel the rainbow road and some called me a brave girl to pursue this career front. Many challenges and wonderful days are on its way. And I am ready to and win each moment.
But I want to tell all the people and women out there, just go give a shot for anything you desire for. Paths will be created for you. Your family and friends will stand by your side. No one can stop you to get anything. Just keep the flame of getting something alive in your heart. Keep building your CV, learn and work on good projects. There will be many obstacles but surely we all can win them in one way or the other. Just trust yourself, this we often forget.
Well if anyone wants to apply too, they can follow this link https://www.ml-labs.ie/apply/. Maybe this could help someone achieve their dreams too.
A very happy new year 2022 my readers. With each month I plan to write about my PhD journey and life. I hope this will help someone in one way or another.
