Name: Siddhartha Gandha
Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Where do you hail from?
I always feel like a fish when I think of the question – “where am I hailed from?” I am from India, a land of rich cultural heritage and known for its spicy food. I was born in a cosmopolitan city, Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). I consider it as a pond, known for its beaches and tourist spots. After my undergrad I moved to a metropolitan city, Hyderabad, which I consider as a river. I worked for three years as a Systems Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services. Later, with the aspiration to pursue my graduate degree, I moved to the U.S.A. (Lincoln, Nebraska). Now, it feels like I am in an ocean—where I got this wonderful opportunity to learn about different cultures and learn about a ton of new things every day.
What is it they say you do?
As a Graduate Research Assistant at CCFL, my responsibilities are as follows:
-Assisting the staff with all kinds of hardware, software and other network related issues
-Involved in the project of setting up latest FOG server (used for capturing or deploying operating system images to end users computers) with the basic idea of upgrading all the computers to Windows 10 in the near future
-Setting up, installing, or troubleshooting computers for the end users and maintaining the software packages using WPKG (server-based software packages deployed into windows computers without end user intervention)
What is your passion/what you are drawn to/what motivates you/where do you hope to be in five years?
I have always been interested in learning new technologies. From business intelligence to data mining to data analytics to computer vision to data science, I have always been the kind of person who would want to learn a variety of technologies. I would like to see myself as a data scientist.
Family life/hobbies /community involvement:
I am blessed with a wonderful family. My mother, Prabha, is a lovable person. My elder brother, Sagar, is currently working for Tata Consultancy Services in Hawaii. I always look up to him for advice, and he has set a wonderful example for me as a big brother and a successful engineer. I also have my cousin, Sridhar, and extended family members who have also been very supportive of my career and personal life. I am interested in painting and pencil sketching since childhood.I won a few awards in my schooling. I love watching movies, listening to melodious songs, cooking and spending time with friends.
The quotation I live my life by is......
I believe in the quote--"Work hard, party hard!” I also believe that it is important to take challenges in life. Because for every challenge we take, we will try to succeed and learn something new. There is always a risk of failure, but it is worth a shot.