Aviral Srivastava

This year began with my 3rd semester and a simple assumption:
“I know enough to go fast.”

That assumption didn’t survive long.

Jan → March
I started deepening my work in Machine Learning, but very quickly hit a wall — not of complexity, but of fundamentals.
So I did something counter-intuitive: I slowed down and went back to the basics with CS50x.
That reset reshaped how I approach code, systems, and problem decomposition.

April → May
Curiosity escalated into exploration — Quantum Computing & Quantum ML.
This wasn’t just theoretical reading; it turned into building:

• experiments,
• simulations,
• and eventually PyQubit, learning how ideas survive real users and real constraints.

Around the same time, I participated in GIH, applying ML + CV under time pressure — my first reminder that shipping beats perfection.

Summer break
Instead of chasing more models, I focused on something quieter but critical: Databases.
Understanding data flow, integrity, and structure fundamentally changed how I see “AI systems” — not as models, but as pipelines.

Semester resumes (Aug–Sept)
Some hands-on robotics projects, some failures, some fun.
Then came SIH — first departmental rounds, then institute level, then national shortlisting.
Momentum was building, but the story wasn’t linear.

In between SIH phases — InnoTech Fest, KIET
This is where Assisto happened.
Not a hackathon project. Not a pitch deck.
Just a practical system built to help people — and honestly, one of the most grounding experiences of the year.
It reminded me that impact isn’t always measured in rankings, but in whether someone stops and says:
“This is actually useful.”

SIH Grand Finale (Dec)
From 8th–12th December, we worked at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Chennai.
Long days, real constraints, hardware on tables, decisions with consequences.
This phase taught me more about teamwork, clarity, and endurance than any course ever could.

Post-Chennai → Exams → Year end
Returned, wrapped up exams, and suddenly 2025 was over.

Looking back, this year wasn’t about becoming an expert.
It was about becoming structurally sound.

I learned when to slow down.
When to build.
When to let go of shiny ideas and fix foundations.

Somewhere between all of this, the people made the year what it was.
Friends who brainstormed wildly ambitious project ideas that are still half-cooked. Seniors who keeps quietly guiding me — not by giving answers, but by asking better questions. Faculty members who didn’t just teach, but genuinely enabled my growth when it mattered. Friends who showed up emotionally when things were heavy, and others who backed me with knowledge, tools, and honest feedback. My teammates from SIH and InnoTech — chaotic, committed, and oddly wholesome — who turned pressure into shared memories. And above everything, my family, for trusting my decisions, celebrating effort over outcomes, and standing firmly behind me even when the path wasn’t obvious.+

2026 doesn’t need a reinvention.
Just deeper work, fewer distractions, and better questions.

Onward. 🚀