Leadership

When I joined AGROW as a freshman, it was a small and largely inactive student interest group with only four active members. Where most people saw an agriculture club, I saw something much broader: a space where students interested in science, technology, creativity, and innovation could genuinely build things together. It was a blank canvas for me to shape and mold into whatever I wanted it to be.

Freshmen rarely take over organisations at GITAM, espeically back then when the culture of students having clubs was still being established. And yet somehow, I was elected Vice President.

Over the next two years, I worked on rebuilding AGROW from the ground up. We scaled from 4 active members to 48 and expanded into five interdisciplinary teams spanning Science Journalism, Technology & Innovation, Photography & Filmmaking, Design, and Marketing. I wanted AGROW to feel less like a formal hierarchy and more like a creative ecosystem where people were encouraged to experiment, collaborate, and grow into the best versions of themselves.

One of the things I cared about most was culture. I tried to break down the invisible barriers that usually exist between juniors and seniors, leaders and members, technical and non-technical students. We created an environment where people felt comfortable sharing ideas freely, taking initiative, and learning from one another without fear of being judged. I introduced initiatives like Brain Food, a weekly series where we shared thought-provoking ideas from science and technology because curiosity deserved to be satiated.

Almost immediately after I took charge, we became the first SIG in GITAM University's history to officially be promoted to the status of a Club. In 2021, we punched way above our weight, winning more awards than any other organization at GITAM's awards ceremony. I won the 'I Do' award for being an individual who goes great lengths to get his voice heard. And the next year, I won the 'Devil in Disguise' award for being a leader who pushes everyone to do their best.

Over time, AGROW became one of the most recognized student organizations at GITAM. We were integral to major University events like the national startup competition, SmartIDEAthon 2022, GITAM's alumni gathering, Homecoming 2023 as well as the establishment of GITAM Fruit and Vegetable Garden.

In 2022, GITAM University decided to organize the largest ever festival bringing students from all three campuses, making them compete in sports, cultural and technical events. There were going to be activities, DJ's, food, dance and celebrity shows. So they put together a University Fest Committee where I was selected to lead Transportation and Accommodation, a responsibility that very quickly grew far beyond what the title suggested.

We knew that we had to do a lot of things properly right from the start because what we did was going to be the foundation for all future festivals. We asked university students what they want the name of the festival to be and finally settled on 'SHORE' to reflect the coastal vibes of Visakhapatnam and because the word means 'noise' (with excitement) in Hindi.

The actual event was for three days only. But the prep work starts months in advance. For me, it involved resolving logistics, coordination and contingency planning. How do you move large grups of people across states, ensure their safety, comfort, food and account for all kinds of emergencies? How do you give every individual a memorable experience? I led a core team of five and coordinated over 100 volunteers while managing transportation, accommodation, budgeting, and on-ground operations for more than 300 visiting participants, celebrity guests, sponsors, and VIP attendees traveling from multiple cities.

The massive scale forced me to operate at a completely different level. I coordinated with organizations including Indian Railways, the State Road Transport Corporation, and Radisson Blu Resorts while simultaneously managing communication between university leadership, vendors, volunteers, and attendees.

There were moments where things changed by the minute: transport delays, overcrowding, safety concerns, scheduling conflicts, and last-second emergencies like a sponsoring partner not being able to hold up their end of the bargain. During the event itself, I helped supervise logistics for more than 10,000 attendees, handled crowd-control situations, and protected high-profile guests during some particularly chaotic moments.

What made the experience meaningful to me was not just the scale, but the responsibility. There was no option to panic. People depended on us to keep things moving smoothly, safely, and professionally. The work that we did became a template for every future SHORE Fest that followed. That felt like the right kind of legacy to leave. And somehow, through all of it, I still didn't miss a single class.

NSS exposed me to a side of India I had never seen up close before.

We worked on everything from road safety campaigns to awareness drives across campus, but one experience stayed with me long after it ended. This one time, we visited a rural village school for underprivileged children, many of whom were sent there by their parents only because the school provided free meals. The children had very limited resources, yet their curiosity was as extraordinary as any other's of the same age.

I began teaching mathematics to a group of fifth graders. It wasn't what I expected; many of them did not speak English and lacked foundational concepts like multiplication and division. So, instead of relying on memorization, I wanted to develop their intuition. I created custom worksheets and teaching materials at my own expense, worked through examples visually, and collaborated with local teachers so they could continue after we left.

By the third day, students who had initially struggled with arithmetic were confidently solving problems far beyond what anyone could have imagined. The great thing wasn't the progress itself, it was the excitement. They kept asking for harder problems, more puzzles, more challenges. They loved doing it! I couldn't be prouder.

When it was time to leave, the children surrounded us with hugs, fist bumps, and endless questions about when we would return. It was one of the most humbling, gratifying human experiences I've ever had.

In my final year of undergrad at GITAM, I thought of taking my involvement in all these leadership roles easy. I stepped down from my position at AGROW, handed it over to new leaders and focused more on myself. I still took on the responsibilities of a class leader because I felt things needed to be better.

I acted as a bridge between students and faculty. I communicated academic updates, coordinated with professors for classwork, and helped my peers navigate opportunities inside and outside the classroom. It was a smaller role than the chaos I was used to, but still very fulfilling. We struck a good balance between classwork and self-exploration, everybody had more peace and time which made them more productive and overall, everyone was just very happy.

I got to bond with my professors and classmates and was able to make their final year of college a little brighter and more memorable.

Krishna House is a beloved part of Gainesville, serving affordable meals to the UF community. I spent time cooking, cleaning, and serving meals for the nonprofit alongside volunteers from all walks of life. The work itself looks simple, but when you're cooking or cleaning for tens or hundreds or (sometimes) thousands of people, even stirring the pot requires tremendous strength. But I am glad I got to be a part of it. The environment was deeply grounding. There was a strong sense of generosity and I met some very pure human beings here.

My last leadership role as a student was as Technical Co-Director of the UF AI Club. Once again, it wasn't something that I wanted to do initially. Being a grad student was stressful enough already, plus I had two jobs: one as a researcher in Dr. Asadi's lab and another as Dr. Dobra's TA. But something told me I could balance it all. Something beckoned me, I guess it was the idea of helping the next wave of students develop and grow into new leaders.

I helped lead the club's most ambitious projects: building AI-powered smart glasses (like the Meta glasses) alongside my co-director and team members. I also organized technical workshops, giving my take and insights on topics and worked closely with newer students who were just beginning to explore AI and software engineering. It was really cool watching them gradually become confident enough to lead projects of their own.