Volunteering Experience of Aryan

If I were to say the one thing that has contributed the most in my growth as a student, as a researcher and as an engineer during my course of college, it would be IEEE. Volunteering at IEEE not only helps you with developing the essential soft skills of management, communication, technical, marketing to name a few, but it develops you as a person, it helps you in expanding your network which might open new doors you are totally unaware of. Connecting with like-minded people is like having a peer group whom you can rely upon in the need of an hour, and IEEE has never discouraged me in providing that wonderful peer-group. Above all, being the part of organizing and volunteering team provides additional perks of connecting with speakers, the after-event team-parties, and bonds with people to cherish on forever.

I cannot name just one thing, but there are many things that I am super proud of. I remember starting my journey from being a networking coordinator in IEEE WiE Delhi Section, where I made sure that proper communication was established between section and different SBs. Then, getting an opportunity of volunteering and serving as a moderator/host, technical volunteer, publicity volunteer, at events like YESIST’12, RMC-2021, IEEE WiE PBL Camp to name a few. I got connected with a student from a remote college with limited opportunities, but commendable knowledge and zeal-to-work. IEEE was our common point of connection, and I started mentoring him. Currently, he is interning at prestigious universities under renowned professors. The only thing he wanted was guidance and right direction, and I was super-proud to be a part of his-growth journey. Recently, I went to IEEE Delhi Section Congress where I met various students facing difficulties in finding internships, doing research, connecting with professors, having a proper pathway, etc. Guiding them regarding this, and hearing the positive stories of their success afterwards was none less than a priceless moment for me.

IEEE has provided me with a platform to grow as a person. My soft skills like communication skills, management skills, technical skills, marketing skills, etc. have been polished all because of IEEE. I got a platform to showcase my skillset and share my knowledge with the global audience in several events conducted by IEEE AcSIR-CSIO Chandigarh, IEEE ProComm Madras Section, etc. where I was invited as a guest speaker. Serving with ExeCom team, sharing stage with like-minded people, and organizing events provided me with a spirit and spark of self-confidence. Empowering women through IEEE WiE provided me with a sense of relief and satisfaction. Getting recognitions like Honorable Mention for IEEE WiE Inspiring Student Member of the Year Award-2022, Outstanding Student Volunteer Award by IEEE Delhi Section, IEEE Richard E. Merwin (REM) Student Scholarship for Spring-2022 has stated the stance that no-efforts goes unrewarded. Above all, the IEEE email id really proved to be a cherry on the cake and needs special mention, that really helped me in cold-emailing, and adding credibility to my profile.

I love visiting different conferences, summits, expo (technology exhibitions), seminars and related events. Most of the people know about IEEE, which acts as a common point of connection. That’s it. The conversation begins leading to fruitful collaborations. Every single time, IEEE has proved to be a life-savior, adding credibility to my profile and reflecting my interest in technical spirit. I used to mail different professors through my IEEE official E-mail ID for my internship applications and research collaborations. Most of the replies I received were positive enough since most of them were IEEE members themselves. Not only this, the people I connected with on LinkedIn who were, later on, my co-authors in different research publication were linked with IEEE in one way or the other. I was a part of Electrical Engineering Summer School hosted by IISc Bangalore recently in collaboration with IEEE Bangalore Section. The network of people I made, the opportunities and learnings I got, and the memories I can cherish upon afterwards are absolutely priceless.

I have been very active on entrepreneurial ground, R&D (Research and Development) in Renewable Energy and Internet of Things, and EdTech. I have been awarded by the Child Scientist Award by NCSC and DST. Currently, I am running my YouTube platform named as “The Knowledge Mountain” where the content revolves around STEM domain. The initiative has added several accolades to my name such as the Global Changemaker Fellowship by CDF, REX Karmaveer Chakra Award, winner at several hackathons, poster presentations, and public speaking events, invited guest speaker at Global platforms like Mozilla (MozFest), IEEE, etc., Outstanding Achievement Award by my University, delegate at Harvard University conferences (HUII and HPAIR-2021), a professional Numismatist (currency and coin collector) for the past 12+ years, etc.