Walking down the SPAIC memory lane: The Five Most Unforgettable Aspects of my Journey
A few favourite SPAIC stories that I will cherish forever!
It was almost the end of June. I had just gotten back from the Operations Control Centre of my city’s Metro Rail Corporation, where I was working as a technical intern on a long-term software development project. As an undergrad student getting her first taste of what it means to have an actual job, I was exhausted. While I took pride in my work, I found myself still looking, for something more. I had always felt the lack of a tech endeavour that could ignite the fire of inspiration, innovation and insight in me- one that could give me a sense of pride and satisfaction that my work would DIRECTLY contribute in making this world a better place. It was on one such tired evening after work, when I finally began my journey as a Secure and Private AI Challenge (SPAIC) scholar.
The Spectacular Slack Space was my first and best encounter with SPAIC, and undoubtedly stands at #1 on my list. Over the course of 3 months, our Slack space has transformed the virtual community of scholars into an extended family in all respects. It was here, that I discovered my voice, my identity and my capabilities as a SPAIC scholar. Here, no scholar is a stranger. Be it a technical query, a personal confrontation, a work-life balance issue, fear not. Finding someone to talk to and helping solve each other’s problems no matter what it is, is the forte of this community. From the study groups that gave us the freedom to pursue what captured our imagination the most along with like-minded scholars, to the #60daysofudacity challenge that truly helped keep the spirit unwavering- I would not change one thing about this awesome community that was built and maintained through fantastic initiatives by the community managers and moderators.
At #2, comes the Captivating Course Content on Udacity. As a complete beginner in the field of Secure and Private AI, I can confidently say that I could not have had a better induction to this field, than taking this course. Mat Leonard, Andrew Trask and the entire team at Udacity will take you through the most enjoyable learning journey you could possibly ask for. The video lectures are beautifully curated and comprehensively designed to cater to the needs of every kind of learner. The project tasks, the examples dealt with and the explanations are intuitive, easy to follow and beginner-friendly. The sessions that deal with current practices w.r.t Secure and Private AI at tech giants like Google, really give one an understanding of what it means to work in this field, its challenges and opportunities.
Making my first ever GitHub contribution was another high point for me, during this course and at #3 on my list. At SPAIC, I learnt that no contribution is too big or too small. All that matters is that you contribute what you can. Often, we do not realize this and forego several opportunities. This is what truly motivated me to begin contributing to various projects on different study groups. At present, I have actively contributed to various projects including the YOLO tutorial phase on #sg_wonder_vision, the Smog Classification Project on #sg_planetearth(200 images for populating our dataset) and The Crowd Density Detection Project that I am leading, organizing and contributing to(my biggest project contribution on SPAIC).
At #4, are the Vibrant Virtual Meetups that helped define the soul and essence of each study group that I was part of. Before SPAIC, I had never even contemplated meeting people from different parts of this world and bonding over our common technical interests. It was at these meetups, that beginners and experts together found the greatest learning opportunities, shared concerns and queries, found directions together as a team, discussed the coolest projects and most importantly, became the best of friends! I will always remember looking forward to every meetup, especially those of groups like #sg_wonder_vision that used to meet consistently.
At #5, is the fact that SPAIC was everything and more than I could have asked for. I can never fully enumerate all the amazing things about this most fun-filled learning experience and all the awesome things it has helped me accomplish. For example, I had never imagined coordinating and leading a virtual team towards a good project, in my wildest dreams. Through the platform that SPAIC has given me, I have explored this as well. I am now thoroughly enjoying the process of leading the awesome Crowd Density Detection team on #sg_wonder_vision and trying to drive progress in the best way I can. For inspiring me to never hesitate, to jump in and get my feet wet- I want to thank every awesome scholar on our community for motivating me, with their enthusiasm and never-say-die attitude.
Undoubtedly, SPAIC takes a spot among the most fulfilling journeys I have ever undertaken. I have enjoyed it so much so that even while I was at my workplace for the internship, I used to find myself watching a lecture or two in the middle of work, or stealing a sneak peek at our Slack space to keep a tab on what was going on! To a great extent, SPAIC has helped me find the spirit of inspiration, innovation and insight that I had been in search of for quite some time. In conclusion, I want to thank Facebook, Udacity and every SPAIC scholar for giving me these most precious times on this scholarship challenge- they will forever remain etched in my memory. To all my fellow scholar buddies on the community, I sincerely hope this Bruce Springsteen song becomes a reality for all of us:
Let’s take the good times as they go, and I’ll meet you further on up the road…
