Shomik Ghose
Hometown:
Houston, TX
M&TSI Year:
2018
WHY DID YOU APPLY TO TAKE PART IN M&TSI?
When I began my search for colleges, the Jerom Fisher Program, also known as M&T, immediately caught my eye. It seemed right out of a dream, an academically rigorous program that combined two fields I was very interested in: business and technology. I applied to M&TSI in order to experience a college curriculum at one of the most academically demanding universities in the world, find out whether I was truly interested in studying both business and technology (among other interests) at a college level, and decide whether I was a good fit for the M&T program and whether I should apply to it.
HOW DID M&TSI HELP YOU IDENTIFY FUTURE ACADEMIC OR CAREER GOALS?
Firstly, I enjoyed both my business and technology classes at M&TSI, and I now fully intend to explore classes and earn degrees in both subjects in college.
I came into M&TSI interested in a few possible career paths: finance (and the world of investment banking or consulting), technology management, or entrepreneurship. M&TSI, especially the final project, helped me explore a combination of the second and third paths: technology entrepreneurship. It taught me that the entire high-tech entrepreneurship process, from ideation to prototype to business model, was rewarding, fulfilling, and fun. I was able to explore my interests in technology by working on the prototype (both in software and hardware) while also developing my business skills by contributing to the team’s business model canvas, executive summary, and market research.
M&TSI also helped me further realize the importance of collaboration. Keeping a diverse team together (balancing different interests and opinions) and turning in high-quality work while meeting deadlines were challenges we were able to work through together. As a result we all learned valuable lessons about teamwork.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE M&TSI EXPERIENCE?
My favorite part of the M&TSI experience was the amazing people I met. I was surrounded by peers who were leaders in their communities with a diversity of backgrounds and ideas. From Bay Area technology whizzes to international students who had already created successful startups, each person I met taught me something new about the world. Being surrounded by such high-caliber and talent pushed me to work harder and further to develop my skills in order to be a valuable contributor to the community around me.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY UP TO?
I’m currently a rising senior. I’ll be serving as a Prefect on my school’s student council next year and will also be continuing my computer science research in 3D imaging. I’ll also continue developing my startup, FloodLift, using the lessons I learned from M&TSI. Furthermore, I’m thinking about possibly attempting to turn my M&TSI final project, AlzHelp, into a viable product (and possible later business) along with some of my former teammates. Additionally, I’ll be continuing my Quiz Bowl/History Bowl activities and community work, both through volunteer service and political activism. I’ll also be pretty busy with college apps!