Turning 26

Ten years ago, I boarded a plane from India to Beijing, China, as a wide-eyed 15 year old. Nervous, excited, and completely unaware of how much that trip would shape my life. I turned 16 during those 12 days, surrounded by students from 21 different countries, all of us brought together for an educational exchange program. We lived together, learned together, explored a foreign country, and unknowingly started writing chapters that would define us for years to come. It was my first international trip and the first time I stepped far outside of my comfort zone - alone.

What followed was a decade of wild turns. After returning from China, I dove straight into the brutal rhythm of competitive exam preparation in India. For two whole years, from 2014 to 2016, I gave up everything - fun, friendships and balance just to study. Like many of us, I placed all my hopes on one chance, one exam. And then, I failed. I didn't end up going to the university I had dreamed of, and instead ended up at a university I never wanted to be in. I felt I had let myself down, but my parents even more so. Looking back, it's crazy how much importance I had placed on getting into a particular university. I wish I knew there was a world outside which I know about now. But growing up in a typical Indian household, everything at that time revolved around grades and education. There was and I believe still is a prestige attached to it.

The first year was especially hard with no close friends, no connection to the place, and a strained relationship with my family, who despite everything, never stopped supporting me. I had put too much pressure on myself, but it was time something changed. Look, I have never been the person who gives up. So, it was time to rebuild. I patched things up with my parents. I started making friends. I began to enjoy learning again. Somewhere along the way, through an internship, I was introduced to the world of data science and it changed the course of my life. I started doing side projects not because I had to, but because I wanted to. That curiosity fueled me.

In my final undergraduate semester, I applied for and joined an exchange program at the University of Florida. I believed then and I believe now that I'm not meant for the traditional 9-to-5 job. So, it was time to leave. Florida opened up an entirely new world for me. But just as I was beginning to explore it, COVID hit. The campus emptied overnight. I was stuck in a different country, again unsure of what came next. Eventually, I flew back to India - jobless, planless, and more than a little uncertain.

But that detour became an unexpected opportunity. During COVID, I started working with my dad, helping him build a new company from scratch. It was raw and hands-on, everything from operations to strategy to execution. Still, a part of me longed to dive deeper into data, to learn in a more structured way. So, I applied to grad school and came back to the US, this time to Boston, for my Master's in Data Science.

Boston was another fresh start. I didn't know a single person. But I threw myself into it, cold emailing people, attending every networking event I could, working in labs, taking on teaching assistant roles. I made friends I now consider family, people who've invited me to their weddings, their homes, their lives. I also worked as a data scientist to gain industry experience and spent time with teams beyond my own such as, marketing, sales, and compliance because I was curious about how companies function end-to-end and how decisions are made. Classic Shagun way, I had fought hard to get this job, chased the hiring manager for 5 months, and even sent personalised presentations on why they should hire me. Eventually, I graduated, a very different person than the one who walked into that program.

Then came another choice. Instead of taking a data science job like everyone expected, I joined a family office (Remember, I wasn't made for a 9-to-5 job). Another non-traditional move. I started from scratch, managing calendars, note-taking, handling communications, helping translate abstract ideas into concrete plans, doing technical diligence, building systems, absorbing everything. It was humbling. But it was exactly where I needed to be.

And now, here I am, living in Miami. A decade after that first trip to Beijing. A whole world away from where I started, yet somehow still that same curious kid who signed up for something different. These 10 years have been anything but a straight line. They've been full of failure, redirection, rebuilding, risk, joy, and deep personal growth. I'm grateful for every version of myself that didn't give up, the one who got on that plane to Beijing, the one who studied for exams, the one who failed and tried again, the one who left, returned, started over, and kept showing up.

Here's to the messy middle, the unexpected detours, and all that's still to come."