Abhishek Kumar

“I was scandalized and had a point to prove.”

“You can get into any college irrespective of whether you study or not, so why bother?” — a remark from my classmate had pushed my already jaded 16-year old mind over the edge. The taunts were incessant; my ‘tainted’ blood- affirmative action for several in this country, but an existential curse for me. So, I decided to have a crack at the SATs- a decision driven by my desire to study psychology or physics and fueled by my determination to prove that I can reach anywhere with my own abilities. I wasn’t an overly bright student but my dedication and hard work over the next 2 years were commensurate with my desperation to prove myself in an arena where I’ll be judged the same as anyone else. And, I had to do something really incredible to get enough scholarship to afford foreign education with my family’s middle-class income.

I arrived at the exam centre amidst hordes of unfamiliar affluent students in a humble rickshaw with my parents. At that moment, I realized that I had the opportunity to do something nobody in my social circle could even fathom to achieve.

The D-Day arrived- I scored 93 percentile and got offers from University of California and University of Arizona with scholarship worth 40 grand each. I felt vindicated. But the scholarship was not enough. Reality came crashing down faster than a cartoon anvil. Eventually, with a little preparation, I managed to scrape through JEE and sneak into IIST.

I am happy here. I had put in my best efforts; the 2 application letters adorning the walls of my room at home stand testimony to that fact. I realize now that I had nothing to prove to anyone — I was only on the search for satisfaction. “

— Abhishek Kumar, Batch of 2017 Admissions.
#Resounding is an initiative to bring the IIST community closer by knowing each other better.