September: Wrapping Up a Month of Beginnings
September: Wrapping up a month of beginnings
Hey! I’m Neha, a 16 year old junior at school, Innovator at The Knowledge Society and Non-Trivial fellow. I’m super interested in AI and more recently, I’ve been fascinated by brain computer interfaces. Some problems I’m really passionate about include longevity, women’s health (especially conditions like PCOS), women’s security and food and water security. In terms of my hobbies, I love to cycle so much, especially in my local park! Additionally, I love to knit, bake, visit art galleries, draw and paint!
Meeting new people → changing mindsets:
Since starting The Knowledge Society (TKS), I have met over 40+ people and I have learnt something new from each and every one of them, whether that is about the culture in their country, problems that they are concerned about and technologies that people are passionate about.
However, I can’t say it started out like that. In TKS, we use braindates to get to know people. To host a braindate you’d have to click a button that says “Host” and type your message out. I remember staring at the screen, deleting a word just to write it out again, and that process repeating for about what felt like a million times.
After maybe 10 minutes of contemplation, I reminded myself that it’s ok to fail (failure here being defined as not receiving any braindate requests) and clicked the button. Immediately, I moved on and did some schoolwork, leaving the tab open. A few minutes later I hear a notification… YES! Someone had requested a braindate!!! And another. And another… before I knew it I had 5 people waiting to meet with me.
Fast forward a month and I have met so many valuable people! I’ve made some amazing friends who are working on really cool projects, following their own passion. This is something I don’t really see in everyday life, so talking to these people has been such an enriching experience and I can’t wait to meet more people.
One person encouraged me to start my own club at school this year, sharing advice from their own experience. It is needless to say that I’ve been actively using his advice of “just keep bringing the energy and people will become interested”. As an energetic person myself, this advice was great to hear! Currently, I run an AI club at my school which covers topics all around AI, exploring the intersections between AI and so many other fields, allowing other people to become even more interested!
Another person has become my accountability partner. Every morning, we say what we did yesterday and what we would like to do in the forthcoming day. This small 2-minute activity has increased my productivity massively and I would definitely recommend anyone else to get themselves an accountability partner as well.
Someone else has given me really great book recs for entrepreneurial books. In fact, in the upcoming month I plan to read The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau… look forward to my review of it!
One of my most valuable braindates was with someone who not only gave me amazing book recommendations for mindset books, but also, helped me in my fitness journey. Every week or two weeks, we set a fitness goal for both of us, which we will try and achieve by our next meeting. This small move allowed me to realise that I can run 2km, and from now I can only see growth. As she is interested in MMA herself she has been really amazing in giving wonderful advice to me.
Too many people underestimate the power of the people you surround yourself with. Just in the last month, I can definitely see a change in my lifestyle for the better.
Art:
Near the end of September, my school gave me the amazing opportunity to present my GCSE art work in our school exhibition. Seeing the last two years of my hard work come together was, needless to say, otherworldly. Being able to witness my art being displayed and people walk by and appreciate the meaning behind my works made me feel so proud.
My works of art have always been fuelled by my desire for a moment to express my feelings in a deeper way that was closer to my heart. However, a memorable moment from the exhibition was this woman who came up to me and said that the painting I did for my final 10 hour exam was one of her favourites. Knowing that I had the power to stand out inspired me to recognise that I can make a change with whatever I do. Art has made such a massive impact on my life and I hope I can also impact people’s lives for the better, whether that be through technology or other forms of self-expression.
Me at my section of the art show
Challenges:
As I live in Britain, I’m sure it’s understandable that welcoming September means welcoming tons of rain. On one of those first days of rain, I was coming home from school, ready to take my second bus. However, just that day, it started to rain.
Of course the bus stop was cramped with people trying to not get drenched by the rain, so I decided the next most reasonable thing to do was catch the bus 4 stops down, since the bus wasn’t due for another 15 minutes (spoiler alert: this was a lie). Seeing the tremendous amount of traffic, I was convinced that if I sped walk I would be able to catch the bus without slipping and hurting myself. To no surprise, I was wrong. After walking for 10 minutes while it was raining cats and dogs without a jacket and umbrella, I see the bus drive right past me. Maybe it’s because I had a good day that day, but all I could do was smile. Knowing that the next bus wasn’t due for another 15 minutes, I slow down my pace. On the way there, I notice an art gallery. Everyday, I look out of the bus window telling myself “I should go there one day”, but never make the move to do so. After telling myself I needed to catch the bus I walked right past it. However, I soon realised I simply couldn’t do that. Drenched, I promptly turned back and entered the gallery.
Captivated by the stunning pieces, I was left with a moment to reminisce about how my summer went, the people I met, the people I let go of, the places I will go and the people I’ll meet there. When in an art gallery, thoughts don’t flow in the train of thought they usually do, rather they just pop up all over my mind creating almost a mindmap.
A few minutes in, I see a small statue with a melting clock on its arm… my eyes are drawn to the name associated with the piece almost instantaneously.
Salvador Dali.
My heart dropped. This small detour I took led me to witnessing a work by one of the most respected and iconic artists of all time. I almost wanted to ask if it was real.
The artwork in all its glory
From that day, I realised that even small detours can lead to amazingly big moments. Sometimes, I realise, it’s harmful to just follow everything to the T. It’s ok to go off track if something draws you in. It might not immediately seem like a valuable experience, but it will prove to be if you are truly interested.
After that, I saw another bus pass by but I continued walking in the rain, but it didn’t bother me. I also saw the beautiful scene of rain pattering against the River Thames for longer than I would’ve if I was in the bus. My lesson from this is that it’s ok to take detours. In fact, I encourage you to take them… just (as with everything) take them in moderation because a schedule is essential as well.
Opportunities:
From the TechGirl competition, I was assigned a mentor- Marie Orpen. We have been having meetings to allow me to meet my desired goals. In the past month, I have identified what I would like to do with this mentorship and have learned about how to create SMART objectives. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. By utilising this framework, I have been able to create goals that I am confident that I can achieve. This mentorship is such a terrific opportunity for me!
Additionally, through TKS, I have learnt so much about AI, BCIs, Robotics and areas that I never even knew about- like Synthetic Biology! What do you mean a company (namely Ginkgo Bioworks) brought back the smell of a dead flower? Crazy. I also had the opportunity to create and present a presentation in 40 minutes, being provided with invaluable feedback by my program director. Moreover, through our 1-on-1 sessions, my program director has helped me work towards things that I’m really passionate about, showing me ways to make the most out of the resources I have gained through TKS.
Shifts in mindset:
My favourite three mindsets from this month were:
Unconventional paths lead to unconventional success
This was a mindset that led me to contemplate on what my definition of success really is. What makes success unconventional? What is the most unconventional path I dare to take right now?
Be intentional
If you’re not intentional about what you do, society will choose a path for you. Therefore, I decided that I need to be intentional with everything I do to be able to reach the goals I would like to
Done > Perfect
In fact, this was the mindset that allowed me to post this monthly newsletter. Under this mindset, an important quote that stuck with me was that if I’m not embarrassed by my first projects, I’ve probably waited too long. This mindset will definitely allow me to create more projects.
Thanks for reading. If you are interested or have any questions, please email me at neha.adapala@gmail.com
Feel free to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neha-adapala-7b2a56231/