Berkley has been good, a lot different from Pathways. It has been Exciting, Challenging and Humbling at the same time. Pathways has been a close-knit world with teachers but Berkley has been an absolute contrast. There are 40 thousand kids and every kid there is an achiever, a topper and hence one really needs to fight it out to create a niche for himself back there. Overall I am loving my life in Berkley.

I have just finished my fall semester at Berkley. Last year, in my Junior Year, I was multitasking – I was working with an advertising agency, I was copywriting, tutoring…

I just love Pathways and I just can't shut up talking about this School. This is the place where the teachers, the mentors and my friends helped me get my act together. So Pathways will always have a special place in my heart!

I was asked to do the Ted Talk in November 2016 but initially I refused as I had plans to come to Delhi that November. However, my plans changed and I went up to the organizers wanting to know if they still had that vacancy for a student speaker and they were excited to take me in. I think honestly, this is an underdog story, an 'against the odds' story…the story of my life. It just fit well in the whole backdrop of the context. As a student, I struggled throughout my academic career before college, leaving the United States after having failed nearly all my classes. I was presented with the opportunity to move to India, beginning a cross-continental journey through which I learned to navigate the challenges of mental health, academic performance, and personal worth and well-being. Throughout this process, I have learnt the value in embracing life's inherent chaos, and finding the balance that allows one to excel and I believe Pathways School Gurgaon had a big role to play in this too. I guess this is the reason why I was the chosen one. Also, my intention was not just to do a Ted Talk. I really wanted it to matter to people. The best part was when, post my talk, people started connecting with me by sharing their struggles and believing that if I could sail through and come up with flying colors, even they can. So the whole purpose of me being on the stage was gratifying at the end. Tushar Mishra's Tedx Talk - [Yt Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lujQb2sfz7M)

Well both my teachers and my friends at Pathways are my people. They have kept me alive, they have taken mid night calls from me on School, grades, life and I believe all my teachers here had a major role to play in my life. When I got admission at Pathways, the batch size was considerably smaller as compared to my School in US, but I think that really helped me connect with each and every single member of my batch really well. I am still in touch with all of them and it is great to have that bond.

Ya, I think we keep on getting this advice from everyone around us but I would still like to tell them that this is the point in time where they can do literally anything. Their Job is to go to School, get good grades. They have the time to grow and think and explore things that one may not otherwise, and people should definitely do that. It is sad that we just don't do that enough.

It felt like getting back to my family!! It feels good to be home