I watched with child-like fascination as an uncle of mine used a cell phone in the days in which cell phones were relatively rare. I vividly remember wondering in amazement about how such a small device was changing the world. This seemingly innocuous event triggered off my interest in the Communication domain.
When I chose the Science stream, I had no specific interests but as time passed and I was exposed to the wonders of communication in every facet of life, my curiosity about the domain hardened into concrete interest.
I'm Siddharth Sundar from Bangalore, India. I spent my entire life in Bangalore and did my schooling and undergrad in institutions are a stone's throw away from my house. Therefore my transition to grad school here in Michigan has been quite an amazing journey for me to say the least.
When it was time to choose my undergraduate course, it was a virtual no-brainer. Electronics and Communication it was. This was an unconventional choice as I come from a family of auditors but my family gave me unconditional support as they realized that I had an aptitude for the subject. When my father shifted career from banking to auditing to pursue his dream and succeeded, it was another signpost, pushing me to do what I love.
Grad school was a natural progression on that front and there was never any question that I was going to take the next step. In that regard when I looked at Michigan as a prospective grad school for me, I noticed a statue of Claude Shannon outside my department building. On further investigation, I was told that Shannon was from the University of Michigan. That completely floored me as he was at the forefront of research in my stream and I was amazed to see that he was an alumnus of this great university. This was when I realized that I was in capable hands. Michigan had captured my heart. I wanted to be among these great people who changed the world almost single handedly with their work.
On a lighter note, I have been a basketball and a soccer fan for many a year now with the Miami Heat and Manchester United being my favorite teams, respectively. I got to see my idol LeBron play in Detroit and that is an experience I will savor for a long time.
Also, a year into my program, I have embraced the Michigan culture completely and am still enamored by the multitude of vagaries we experience here. The weather ranges from a harsh winter to a sweltering summer. Ann Arbor in itself is one of the most cosmopolitan university towns around. Also, make sure you get your Michigan gear because no matter where in the world you are, you are bound to find that one guy across the road who shouts to you, 'GO BLUE!'
Published in: Student Voices