How do you often feel when you have to face rejection? What if you face the same rejection once again? What if you still don't give up and try a third time and Voila! - this time you succeed? Well, these are not mere questions, but my journey of getting accepted as an Outreachy intern with the Confidential Computing Consortium. It is an experience that taught me, never giving up is always the right thing to do.
Who Am I?
I am Ankita Pareek, an undergrad from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, batch of 2023. I started my software development journey in the first year of my college and so far the experience of building some cool projects and exploring new tech has been amazing. Right from developing mobile and web apps, to diving into the ocean of blockchain and now learning about the concepts of Confidential Computing, I've explored a lot and would continue to do so.
But mind you, I'm not just into the geeky business! You can alsofind me binging movies/web series, experimenting with some random hairstyles (mostly on me and sometimes on others xD) and spending some good time with my close ones. Oh, and did I mention my newfound passion for foosball?
My Core Values
Core values are the guiding principles, that help me align my actions and choices with what I stand for and what truly matters to me. Here are the ones I believe in -
Learning - Someone rightly said, "The most beautiful part about learning is that no one can take it away from you." I truly believe that one should never stop learning new things in life. Every opportunity to learn presents a chance to acquire new knowledge, develop skills, and embrace fresh perspectives. With Outreachy, I am eager to delve into meaningful projects, learn, and grow with the amazing community.
Balance - Balance is the anchor that keeps me grounded amidst the whirlwind of life. While it is easy to get lost in chasing ambitions, balance is a reminder that self-care, well-being, and nurturing relationships are essential to my growth and fulfillment. I feel, striking the right balance in life can be challenging, but worth it for a happy and peaceful mind.
Resilience - This is a cherished core value that resonates deeply in the context of my Outreachy journey. It is the inner fire that refuses to be extinguished, a determined inner voice that keeps telling me to not give up in challenging times. With resilience as my companion, I have reached till here and will move forward embracing each hurdle as an opportunity to learn and grow.
What is Outreachy?
I was introduced to the open source world 3 years back and since then Outreachy was the first open source program I wanted to get into. Outreachy is a paid, remote internship program in the open-source to support people from groups underrepresented in tech industry. It offers projects that include programming, user experience, documentation, illustration, graphical design, or data science. It is also a great opportunity to work with experienced mentors from different domains of the software industry.
The Application Process
The first time I applied to Outreachy was 2 years back. I was heartbroken when my initial application did not get accepted for the first round. I again applied the following year, only to experience a similar outcome. Finally this year, my initial application got approved and I got a chance to move ahead to the contribution phase.
The daunting part of the contribution phase was to choose an organization and the project for making contributions. I got acquainted with the tech involved in all the projects and finally chose the project "Secure Integration of TEEs with Other Hardware-based Privilege Separation Mechanisms" based on my interests and current skill set. This project seemed not only challenging, but something completely different from what I've worked on previously and thus another oppotunity to learn! Apart from this, the community was also very welcoming to newcomers and the mentors helped me a lot in understanding the project well and making contributions.
The Result
Fast forward to the D-day, I was attending a farewell party in my college, feeling nervous, excited and a plethora of emotions all at the same time. With everyone enjoying and dancing around, I was just constanty checking my phone, waiting anxiously for the result. At sharp 9:30 PM IST, the email subject read "Ankita Pareek accepted for Outreachy 🎉" and I jumped with excitement, joy and loads of happiness. And finally I can say "I chased it untill I made it!"
