About Me

As a toddler, I wasn't able to communicate/speak like other kids, it took me a while. 

While my motor skills were great, my language development was comparatively poor. This reflected majorly on my academic life in the early years of my education. So words and understanding concepts were never my forte as a toddler.

But as a 6-year-old kid, I was very attracted to cartoons and colors, I sure did love my teddy bears and gifted Barbie dolls but more than those, I loved teaching as a kid. I had a whiteboard and I would teach what I learned in class to these non-living but for me sort-off living students. I would tear pages (guilty now) make a small book for them and write notes on them about what I taught.

Now that I reflect on it, I see a lot of what I did as a child came from the teachers I had. Some of them weren't good and their punishment for the wrong things came faster than reinforcement for the good things. Which is something I also followed as a teacher as a kid when teaching these non-living toys/dolls.

When I was around 7-8 years old, I was inspired by the idea of a hospital and doctors. It was only curing someone and the power to help someone that got to me. You see, educating in the form of teaching meant awareness and learning. And being a doctor meant helping and that was always in the build-in me as a kid.

As a teen, I realized my passion was never stirred in the right spot until the 11th grade. My pre-university college - changed my life. I opted for a course titled "HESP" which means (History, Economics, Sociology & Psychology).

It connected me back to what I have always loved as a kid and as an adolescent. However, the lack of awareness of different STEM fields in India was the reason I wasn't sure of where I saw myself walk into career-wise in the future. As a 20-something, coming from a university that didn't have research as the strongest base and someone with a passion for research. I self-learned my way on how to do research by doing research on that.

I soon realized there is a world where it all existed together - Academia. I saw myself pondering the idea of pursuing and equipping myself with resources and tools. While I honestly don't or can't say if I think of myself post completion of my PhD in academia. I can for sure tell my future plans for the next 5 years are to see myself working in a lab, teaching, and importantly mentoring. I like to believe by being a kid by heart, I will remain like that stubborn kid with that passion and curiosity. Hence, with all the above specific yet differently branched out interests - I am an aspiring speech-language pathologist and developmental cognitive scientist.

Meet Simba, the first cat I fell in love with so deeply.
I love him so dearly and miss seeing him since I left the in-person lab.

After he was rescued, I have seen him grow into this cute amazing big ball of fur. I have also started reading a lot about cats and cognition and have only been more fascinated to be around them. As a person who also loves dogs a lot, cats became my new favorite the moment I made eye contact with Simba.

P.S this beautiful name was given by Arjun and he is not wrong because he is our cute little brave cat that has seen some tough times as smoll cat on the streets. 

Also here's a picture of a character from Encanto that my friends and family think looks like me.

P.S I have short hair now and wear specs when I am working and oh I have short hair so that's other factor :)