Week 1 & 2

After a much-needed trip home to India, I’m back in the US and easing into the semester. The visit reminded me how grounding it is to pause, recharge, and spend time where it all started.

The transition back has been busy in the best way. One highlight was the Women in Data Science (WiDS) meetup in Boulder. I had the chance to meet Shannon (Moran) Yates (Head of Data Science at Gusto), Annie Brinza (Data Science Manager at Code for America), and Katie Colasono (Analytics Specialist at Guardian Restoration Partners). It’s always motivating to hear from people already working in roles I really admire. There’s something energizing about being in a room where everyone’s genuinely curious and open to sharing. I left with fresh perspectives, and I’m already looking forward to the next one!

I’ve also been continuing my work as a Data Engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder - Libraries, where we’re cataloging close to 4,000 TIFF images of historical tsunami marigrams. These are tide gauge recordings from decades ago, stored on microfilm, and now digitized into something researchers can actually use. It’s a mix of data cleaning, metadata extraction, and careful cataloging. It is also meaningful because of the impact it has on ongoing research.

One question I only recently found the answer to myself is how big of an impact this marigram project is actually creating. Beyond the technical process, these records directly support tsunami research and forecasting, helping scientists understand past events to better prepare for the future. Knowing that this work feeds into something with such wide-reaching value makes the project feel both meaningful and motivating.

On top of that, I’ve been making it a point to attend more career fairs and networking events. Walking into those spaces can feel intense at first, but I’ve started to see them as opportunities to connect and learn rather than just “events to get through.” Everyone brings a different story, and hearing those stories makes the whole experience worthwhile.

I also want to thank Bhumika Dasari for inspiring me to start documenting my journey just like she does. There’s definitely a kind of commitment in putting your experiences into words, and for me it’s a way to continuously improve across all areas of life while keeping myself accountable. This is just the beginning, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it evolves.