The Next Small Step...

Thousands of students gaze at the night sky dreaming to surpass the bounds of this world and explore the mystical universe to unveil facts touching millions of lives back on Earth. I am one such student lucky to be at the cradle of astronauts, pursuing my dream to be one like them. One evening in May 2003, 26 medical doctors specializing in different disciplines but having one common motive surrounded a young student. The motive was to brainwash him to pursue a career in medical science owing to the fact that his dad was a medical doctor and his command on biology was stronger than on Mathematics. But he was determined to learn about Aerospace Engineering and become an astronaut inspired by Kalpana Chawla, an Indian astronaut who passed away in February 2003 in Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. After a long struggle they gave up against his determination and told him that he will regret his decision. He tried his luck to enter the best engineering institute in India, Indian Institute of Technology and failed to do so because of low score in Mathematics in a standardized test.

He could not make it to most of the good universities back in India for some reason or the other. He then decided to pursue Mechanical Engineering at a small university to build his fundamental knowledge. He always chased a brighter future and hence he was not disappointed with his present and past. He couldn't hide his love for Aerospace Engineering and his passion to do something for humanity. As a result he founded an Aerospace student organization named Quasar even though there was no Aerospace department at his university. He found that it was very difficult to get books and resources on Aerospace related topics.  He used to travel around India and learn from the best students and professors about Aerospace and then taught the same back at his university using his organization. Later he applied to renowned universities at US but his passport was issued late pushing his application beyond the deadline and hence all the universities rejected him. He then decided to learn computer science that was critical for his Aerospace career and he joined the second best IT firm in India, Infosys Technologies Limited. In the meantime due to financial constraints he applied only to 4 US universities. He got 2 admits eventually. He chose the lower ranked university between the two. Many called it a strange decision back in India.

This is my story full of failures and rejections. But I knew that Edison failed 3000 times before making a bulb that lit up entire humanity. I chose Purdue. Whatever I did so far in my life had a strong purpose including this decision. Purdue is popularly known as cradle of astronauts and I knew it is the best place for me. I did not come to US just for another degree. What I do with this degree is very important. I always had easy options in life…I never chose them as they tried pulling me away from my bigger goals.

After my long list of failures when I finally made it into Purdue I never looked back. My past university declared me as the best student of Mechanical Engineering, class of 2010 when I reached Purdue. I had perfect GPAs semester after semester. In one course I secured more than 102% and was also added as a contributor of the book for that course. In Fall 2013 I finally secured 100% in Mathematics in an advanced course at Purdue. I knew that everything bows in front of strong will and passion. Being an international student studying Aerospace Engineering at US is one of the toughest tasks. The courses are tough, there is paucity of internships, research is tough and there are not many universities that teach atmospheric re-entry. I always saw Mars as our next home and one important challenge for any human mission to Mars is atmospheric re-entry. I was very fortunate to find an advisor interested in the same field of study at Purdue. I started performing research on landing humans on Mars by flying the vehicle rather than making it fall like a rock. Strong academics will ensure that I have adequate knowledge desired to perform my research. I wanted to continue my education, as I never really got the chance to learn about my passion, Aerospace Engineering in depth. Just two years are not enough to learn about such a vast field. So I had all plans of doing a Ph.D. and not just Masters in it since a very young age. I am not chasing just a Ph.D. degree but am chasing excellence.

There is a purpose for why I want to be an astronaut. I just do not want to experience a spacewalk or see mother planet from outer space. Those are bonus if I get a chance. My idea is to help humans reach the next secure home. What if I die before accomplishing my goals? The best way is to prepare many more like me. That way the idea will not die. In order to do that I need to make Aerospace education reach everyone. But some students cannot pay for their education. That is why I started to give free talks on Aerospace Engineering since a young age and guided many other students. I continue doing that using a San Diego based Aerospace organization named Oooojoooo. I have raised money for underprivileged students in India through some stage performances at Purdue. I am in the process of starting a library on Aerospace topics in my past university so that students do not need to travel for miles for the same or invest money on procuring them. My efforts have encouraged my past university to establish an Aerospace Department. I have consistently taught American kids about rockets and parachutes through Purdue Space Day. 

To keep myself physically and mentally fit I play many sports including cricket, lawn tennis, soccer, chess and long distance races. I also pursue dramatics, videography, singing, dancing and creative writing as hobbies. Recently I was appointed as the Co-President of Purdue University Cricket Club (PUCC). I am also an author of fiction novel named K.O.T.A.

I have always looked at the broader goals in life and took tougher paths to arrive at these goals. I am yet far away from my ultimate objective and my higher studies will ensure I accomplish it and become a man of value for the society. I would be using scholarship prize money provided by HonorSociety.org to support my education and to promote aerospace education for the community. Being a good human being is the most important thing and I want to continue my efforts in that direction. Space exploration will eventually help us in finding the answers to where we came from and where we are heading to. I definitely do not regret I chose this field and I will always follow my heart to take this next small step.