TinkerHub Story #1
How a Girl from Kochi went from Struggling for Parents’ Permission for a Hackathon to Becoming a Google WTM Scholar and Travelling All the Way to Singapore!
The story of how Ann Philip turned her life around by learning new technology.
In an era where people tend to lose sight of their passion and dreams upon the first hurdle that comes along, let us introduce you to someone who got to live her dream through persistent hard work and determination.
Meet Ann Philip, an engineering student at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Pampady who was selected as one of the winners of Google WTM Scholarship 2018.
A regular engineering student from the outside, a passionate dreamer from the inside... Ann is busy planning her next trip abroad! We managed to get hold of this high flying bird and have a conversation about her work, achievements and passion.
Read the first story from TinkerHub about young achievers and their success stories that begin with a technology learning culture.
Hey Ann! We’d like to know all about you!
Hello there! My name is Ann :) I am a second-year student of RIT, Pampady. I love to interact with people, I love to travel a lot and learn new things. The combination of these factors introduced me to communities such as TinkerHub and made me want to be a part of a community. Currently I serve as the Hackathon lead at Pehia Foundation.
Now I am an active member of communities such as Pehia, SDS and obviously TinkerHub.
How did you begin your journey into the field of technology?
In my first year of college, I had a presentation in my class about introducing new technologies which we knew about. Most of the students in my class, especially boys were talking about Neural networks, cloud computing and other cutting edge technology in our field. That moment made me realize that I didn’t know anything about the technology in the computer field, even though I had studied Computer Science in +1 and +2.
I thought to myself “If I go on like this, I will still be in the same situation when I’m in my fourth year of B.Tech.” It was at that point that I decided to learn about these technologies. Once I shared this with my classmates they introduced me to TinkerHub RIT and that is basically how I started my tech journey.
What was your experience as a part of the TinkerHub Community at RIT?
Well as I have already said, TinkerHub was the core community that introduced me to the technology life and the variety of fields in technology.
The first person I talked to from TinkerHub was one of my seniors Akshatha, who was a great inspiration. She is one of the best coders at RIT despite being from a biology background. At first, I was clueless as to where I should start. This field was so vast! However, I was supported a lot by the community in my college and another senior Gopi who all were patient enough to understand me without being judgemental and help me learn.
The TinkerHub group was always active and ready to solve any doubts I had at any time. The first Hackathon I participated in, Coopathon, actually came to us by TinkerHub RIT, this was at IIM Kozhikode.
In short, TinkerHub was instrumental in introducing me to tech. Even now, if I have any doubts regarding technology, I reach out to the TinkerHub group which is always ready to be of assistance.
What was your initial reaction when you found out that you were selected for the ‘Google Women Techmakers Scholarship’ ?
To say in a few words, I was really excited. I can’t actually express it in words! I even filled the application for the scholarship on the very last day during which was during the time of the floods. To be honest, I didn’t even expect to be selected for the interview.
The first difficulty I faced was finding a mentor who could tutor me for the interviews. I was surprised to find that no one from the Kerala Sector had ever won the scholarship.
Even though we finally were able to find a mentor from North India it was really last minute and I couldn’t prepare as much as I wanted to. The interview was a really great experience, it was the first time I was talking to someone from Google India.
I found out that I had won from a call. The WTM Lead of India Anjali Thakur personally called me to tell me that I had won the scholarship. It was really exciting because this was going to be the first time I get to travel abroad and attend an International program. It was really awesome!
Any tips for beginners in the tech field who might benefit from these opportunities?
I was actually selected for another Hackathon in Canada before winning the WTM scholarship but could not attend the event because of the floods which devastated the state. It was really a sad moment for me, getting selected for an international program yet not being able to go because I didn’t have a passport. Yet I didn’t become disheartened by the issue and the first thing I did after the floods receded was apply for a passport. This obviously helped me a lot while applying for the WTM scholarship as the process was now smoother.
So, the tip I would give to the beginners who wish to attend such events is to not get disheartened if you get rejected once or twice. You should always try harder the next time and overcome the issues you might have had before. Be really dedicated to what you wish to achieve and you will definitely get an opportunity.
In my blog on Medium I have written as a note that I will definitely get another opportunity and attend another international event! And the google WTM scholarship made this dream true. And it made me realise that if you move on even when you face some trouble, you’ll definitely succeed at some point. The only thing you need to do is to try harder each time.
Apart from the floods did you face any other issues while applying for Google WTM Scholarship?
As I had already said before, I was a complete beginner to the field of coding and computer technology. I was studying the basics of Web Development when I heard about Sameer from TinkerHub and the hackathons he conducts. I was interested in hackathons and wanted to see what they actually were. I also reached out to my seniors from TinkerHub RIT to see if I could attend the hackathon conducted by our college. I was able to get into a team and was all set to participate in the event.
The hackathon was a 24-hour event. One factor that caused a bit of tension to my parents was that there were no girls from my class who were attending the hackathon. Naturally, they were reluctant to send me and I missed the opportunity.
That was when I realized how girls, who are raised under stricter circumstances, would never be allowed to go for a 24 hour event. But I was not disheartened and decided to prepare myself to attend the next hackathon that was set to happen.
My parents saying NO for the first time was definitely a trigger of sorts. I started discussions within the communities i’m part of to find solutions for this issue. We then set out to find girls from other colleges who were willing to participate in hackathons and provide them with confidence to attend the events. I attended my first hackathon, Coopathon at IIM Kozhikode, with a group of such girls.
What made me even happier was that, because of our efforts, about 50% of the participants for the event were girls.
A lot of your efforts have been directed towards breaking gender barriers. As the Hackathon lead of Pehia Foundation, how do you evaluate the current situation of women in tech in our state?
I was first introduced to Pehia by my senior Akshatha. There I met a lot of girls who had passion yet faced a lot of issues while learning tech. When I faced the same issue of not being able to attend my first hackathon, I really wanted to attend another one and I had discussed it with the members of Pehia.
But what followed was a huge surprise for me. I was assigned the post of Hackathon Lead of Pehia by Enfa Rose George, Sreepriya Radhakrishnan and Mufeeda CK. Being a first year, I felt nervous thinking whether I could handle the post. I didn’t have any experience in tech. But the team supported me completely and I could rely on them whenever I needed. I used to post information about hackathons and form groups of women to help attend them.
But my happiest moment was when when there was a participation of nearly 50% girls in Coopathon and a large number of them where attending their first ever hackathon from Pehia. After I received the scholarship, I was really happy to know that Anusree, one of the core members of Pehia Foundation was also selected and it was a proud moment for our team.
From being unable to attend the first hackathon to being able to co-ordinate a large number of women to attend hackathons in various parts of the country, Pehia has been my backbone in revealing the true potential in me. Above all,I feel extremely happy to be part of the Pehia family.
From being unsure about letting you participate in a 24-hour hackathon to letting you travelling abroad to be a part of an international event, what changes do you see in your parents now?
Obviously, they are extremely happy for me. They are more confident about me travelling to events outside college when before they were really anxious about letting me do so. Another thing is that they now realize that I know something more than that is being taught from books and they are really proud of me. It makes me really happy to make them realize that I can achieve great things myself.
Do you think communities like TinkerHub helped in making the events like PayTm Hackathon or the TinkerHub Coopathon more accessible to the students especially beginners in colleges?
Yes, definitely! From times when there was a dearth of girls who were allowed to go for such events, to being allowed to travel outside college walls to various parts of Kerala to learn, communities like TinkerHub have helped educate parents about how participating in such events are always the best path for their child to follow. The promotions on the media have helped a lot to improve the support a girl child receives from the community and let them think for themselves.
Another advantage that communities like TinkerHub brought about is the removal of barriers between different colleges and regions.
We can now easily communicate with people across the state, and get help in solving our doubts or issues directly.
How do you manage to strike a balance between your college life and your community life as a part of TinkerHub?
This is an issue which we still discuss within our community at present. The strict KTU norms make it impossible to claim duty leave for attending international events either. I feel that this is a really important issue which I face and there many others who are facing the same predicament.
We definitely need the knowledge we get from classrooms but possession of skills is always necessary to find success in the future.
The best way to find the balance is to focus on studies when it is important, like during exam times. We always have a lot of free time when there are no exams, utilize that effectively for completing community work and participating in events. We can try our best to balance between both.
What plans have you made for your future and where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I have not yet chosen a single domain to focus on because I’m still learning, I’m still exploring the different fields available to me. Thus I haven’t yet found where my passion lies. The advice that I received was to keep learning and keep exploring; within 4 years I will definitely find my field of interest. Till that time comes I will work in every field I can.
As for 10 years later, I cannot predict which field I will work in but I will definitely have learned a lot more in the field of coding and probably a lot more computer languages. The advantage of getting better at coding is that you can turn to any field you want to later if you know coding.
I will definitely be more active in the community because I want to help the students, both girls and boys, who will face the same situations I faced when I was in college. I want to be as helpful as the community has been to me.
Epilogue: What do you wish to tell the students who want to make their future in tech?
Everyone will have starting trouble. You won’t know where to start and you won’t see yourself as being capable. What you have to do is just start anywhere!
Start anywhere and explore different fields, because only if you explore will you understand what you love and where you want to be. I, for one, have reached where I am now only because I started somewhere.
Another advice I would like to give is to never be disheartened by the issues you face. Try to overcome them and help others who might be facing the same. Also, try to be a part of some community because a community will help you a lot in learning new things and support you to achieve your goals.
The community will always be there for you.
Ann is spending her time completing her B.Tech course, being an active member of TinkerHub Community and empowering young women like her to follow their passion. She is the best example of the famous A. P. J. Abdul Kalam quote, “Thinking is the capital, enterprise is the way, hard work is the solution”.
This TinkerHub story was brought to you by Sreeram Venkitesh and Abhijith G Anil from the TinkerHub Team! If you loved reading this post, show your appreciation by clapping below! Stay tuned to us for more reads on learning, building and collaborating.
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