Five years since DSC, a journey that changed everything
September 5, 2025
And it suddenly hit me that exactly five years back, on September 5, 2020, I onboarded my DSC team. Damn. I still remember that day, the onboarding call, and me just sitting there with a mix of excitement and so much doubt inside me.
When I got selected as the DSC Lead, I honestly didn’t know if I could do even half of what my previous lead had done. My college was not some tier one college, and I had already seen through DSC volunteering that the world outside had so much more to offer. And deep down, I wanted my peers also to see that, to feel that.
For me, DSC was never just a club. It was more like a protest.It was me asking why not?
Why can’t we also get those opportunities?
Why can’t we also be that good at tech, that good at engineering?
Why should we always settle for what society thinks is our limit?
Because back then, the shared dream of my peers was simple: get placed, probably end up in TCS, Infosys, or a company in Technopark, and that’s it. Nobody was even aware of product companies, the startup ecosystem, or all the exciting things happening around us. So when this role came to me, I carried this one thought in my heart if even one person could break that chain, do something truly amazing that no one would expect from a student of our college, I would be happy.
And that’s what happened.
First Call
September 5, 2020 — I still remember sharing my vision with the team. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure myself. But they never doubted me. Not once. They trusted me completely. And that trust was everything.
Riya, Kevin, Navaneeth, Salman, Aswin, Sanna, Venkitesh, Kesia, Shahan, Meenakshy, Don, Amal and many others. They put their heart into this journey with me. And because of them, we were able to make something beautiful.
Canon event ✨
If I look back now, one turning point in my life was meeting Aravind chettan. He was my mentor, my brother from another mother.
In school I was bullied a lot due to my introvert nature and appearance,that resulted in low self esteem, self doubt and trauma and all that stayed with me until I processed and healed from it during college days.But in college, I wanted to change. And Aravind gave me that first push. He asked me to volunteer with DSC, trusted me to take my first session, stand in front of people and teach. He trusted me when I didn’t trust myself.
That one instance changed my life completely. Even today, he’s just one phone call away. And I wanted to be the same kind of brotherly figure for my team.
Learning to Lead
I had no idea how to lead a team, no clue how to run community events. I just went ahead, did what felt right, and solved problems as they came. That was it.
And through that year, I discovered things about myself I didn’t know that I could lead, build things from scratch, can bring together people to believe in a mission, can design and teach students and much more. The journey shaped me in ways I never imagined, this gave me the confidence to take chances and pursue my dreams and follow what my mind even if its different from the norm.
The feedback notes they shared during the end of my tenure are still close to my heart. Whenever I feel low I revisit them.
Small Wins ❤️
My happiness came from the small wins.
- When Kevin got his first internship, I was so happy.
- When Salman and Navaneeth both got an opportunity to take a design session for people from different parts of Kerala, I was happy.
- When Riya got her first internship, I was happy.
These were just the start, they went onto win hackathons, scholarships and many other insane opportunities.And the best part? Even till today, they still share their wins with me. Every time something good happens, they ping me. And it makes me feel like every win of theirs is my win too. I’ve always been a cheerleader for them and I know I always will be.
I don't have much photos with the bunch with whom I share a lot of good memories but heres one thats close to my heart
Looking Back Now
Few days back Riya left for her Masters in London. Talking to her brought back all these memories.I have been sitting with a lot of emotions since then, writing this blog helped me process those. Everyone from that team is now at a transition point, some are doing Masters, some are working in exciting startups, Salman is even running his own company. They’re all happy, they’re all chasing things they love, and that makes me so proud.
At this point, I’m also in a transition phase in my own career. And when I look at where all of them are now, and how far they’ve come in the last five years, I feel nothing but happiness and pride. To have witnessed their growth so closely has been one of the biggest privileges of my life.
And me? I look back and realize how much that year changed me. From being that bullied, shy kid to leading a team, building something meaningful, and standing up against the status quo.
If someone asks me what I’ve done with my life, I think this is it I helped people dream bigger, believe in themselves, and chase opportunities. And along the way, I found myself too ❤️