When I was in my undergrad at BITS - Pilani, India, I viewed technology itself as the biggest game changer. But after my internship at Microsoft, I realized that Artificial Intelligence was going to be the next chapter in this revolution. And so, I decided to apply for higher education in the United States, the country that has made the most advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence. While I had admits from multiple top universities in the US, I chose Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) because it was at the cutting edge of all groundbreaking AI domains, such as Computer Vision, Language Technologies, Robotics and Machine Learning.

However, immigrating to the US from India posed a new set of challenges. From food, festivals to language and culture - everything changed by 180 degrees in a matter of weeks. I had to adjust to this major change in my life and integrate into the new community, while handling the academic pressures of a full-time Master’s degree at CMU. As someone who did not have any support system in this new country, I struggled to find my footing. But this experience made me more self-reliant. And at the same time, I also realized that there is a gaping need for mentorship and support from people who have been through similar experiences.

During my time at CMU, I worked at the intersection of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision and large-scale Distributed Systems. I also interned at GoDaddy during this time, where I used my AI knowledge to double the accuracy of the Machine Learning model for auctions market for domain names. I achieved this by using transfer learning and feature addition. This increase in accuracy made auctions market more efficient, allowing businesses to accurately bid for the domain names. Thus, having a greater access to the pool of domain names, which is the first entry point for connecting with their customers digitally.