About Me — Jahnavi Gogineni
J’s core memory!!♥
Intro:)
Writing about myself for this article feels like a challenge, but I’ll try to break it down and share most of it!
By the way, the “About Me” article is typically the first one everyone writes, but when I first started here, I wondered, “Why would anyone want to know about me?” So, I just kept writing and writing instead.
And now, here I am, celebrating my 100th article! I’m finally ready to share a bit about myself!
Who am I? :)
I’m Jahnavi Gogineni, which means “daughter of the earth.” It’s a pretty cool meaning, right? But funny enough, people always seem to miss the “h” when they spell my name(Jah-na-vi). Maybe that’s why I’ve been so into words since I was little. In India, they mess it up, so it’s no surprise that people here on Medium do too. They always get stuck trying to figure out a short version. So, no worries, you can just call me J! 😊
Where do I come from?
I was born and raised in Hyderabad, India, with a younger sister who I don’t often write about(Sister things). Both of my parents are employees, and I grew up close to my grandmother, who meant the world to me. Nani was my biggest supporter, and my life truly changed when she passed away in 2014 and I still feel the impact every day.
A little 15 years ago…:-
I had a huge interest in space and science when I was young. My dream was to pursue a job connected to space. The first thing I ever demanded from my parents was a telescope. They told me, “We’ll buy it for you if you still have this interest in five years.” Well, five years passed, and boom! My interests shifted (blame it on being an Aries).
Then, I discovered a passion for acting while in college. But life took a different turn, and I ended up preparing for Mains, one of the toughest exams for joining IIT. And then came the pandemic. It had a huge impact on India and, naturally, on my family. Suddenly, I wasn’t a topper anymore. When life throws challenges at you, everything feels off track. That year was definitely the hardest of our lives. My dad had to shut down his car-related business, and everything started over from scratch.
During that tough time, all I had was my laptop to attend online classes, and that’s when I turned to writing about mental health. I thought, “If I write positive things, maybe I’ll start feeling positive too.” So, I began writing on WordPress, contributing to different magazines, and entering competitions (though I won only a few). As the years went by, I eventually stopped writing in 2022.
Currently:-
I’m now pursuing Computer Science at a pretty good university. Thank God for some reason, my marks helped me get into this university with a free seat, so I was happy not to burden my parents with the fee. I’ve always been independent by nature, and honestly, I don’t like asking my parents for money(again I am an Aries!)
I wanted to help my parents financially very much, and they needed that one more support. So, I came back to look for ways to earn online, and I landed on Medium. That was a huge heartbreak, though. I was so happy with the Guidelines, but then I saw that MPP wasn’t available in India. This all happened in July 2024, and it felt like my lowest point. I wanted to help my parents, but I didn’t know how, all I knew was Writing.
My parents were always worried that I didn’t give enough time to academics and coding because of my writing. They always said, “Writing will never feed you.”
But then, exactly a month later, in August, Medium MPP expanded to 77 countries, including India. I was over the moon!
I started writing the moment I saw this news. And now, I can say for sure: “Writing will definitely feed me, and honestly, writing chose me”.
To this day, all I’ve wanted is to support my parents, and I’m doing it!
Now, I’m in the pre-final year of my degree, writing alongside it, and I absolutely love what I’m doing.
So, yeah, that’s pretty much about me. I’m excited to share many more articles and stories like the previous 100, and if you like my work in the future, remember me as J.
I’m super excited to meet more people here and connect with all of you!
Special Note :-
One reason why you should read from me?
Because I’m in my 20s, still figuring out and exploring life. So everything I write is for people who are still figuring their lives out, just like me!
If you’re already perfect and have no worries in life, then sorry to say, my work might not add much value to you.
But for everyone else, this space is all ours! Let’s grow and learn together.
Also, any Aries out there? Let me know in the comments!
Final bye for now:-
Don’t forget to be kind (I’ll be using this line in all my articles, who knows, one might actually follow this!)
Credit Rolls:-
-J ♥
