Mradul Kanugo, pursuing B.Tech at National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, relates how he became one of two Google Student Ambassadors from the Northeast
I CAME to Shillong from hometown Indore, Madhya Pradesh, six semesters ago. All these months at the National Institute of Technology (NIT Meghalaya) has made this city my second home, more so after I became the lone Google Student Ambassador (GSA) from Meghalaya and one of two from the Northeast among 177 Indians.
I was part of Google Students’ Club (GSC) and my name was thus referred from college earlier this year. An hour long telephonic interview from Google followed. The interviewer probed my technical knowledge about Google products, my previous experiences in organizing events, and everything else related to the search engine.
I was elated when the results were announced almost a month later, and I headed to Pune for the Google Ambassador Summit. The three-day summit, to train GSAs like me, was unlimited fun. We were exposed to various technologies, career-oriented courses, Google’s acts towards societies, how we are supposed to contribute, etc. We interacted with Googlers, how they work and also got hands-on Google Glasses.
After returning from Google summit, I formed NIT Meghalaya’s GSC. The club organised various workshops toward enhancing knowledge in Android app development, Web development, using tools such as Google sites, etc. GSC NIT Meghalaya is currently working to make a website on tourism in Meghalaya.
As a GSA, we get to know about various opportunities Google offers. We participated in PMO app development, were given opportunity to have live hangout from solar impulse (SI) pilot (SI is a Swiss long-range solar-powered aircraft project), various hangouts from experts from Google on topics like airfare problem and plenty others (like scholarships, online marketing challenge and GOSC).
Benefits for GSA and his/her state
GOOGLE AMBASSADORS get the opportunity to enhance their professional, leadership, and communication skills besides access to a unique network of GSAs across the world, swags from Google (along with fully funded trip to GSA summit).
As a GSA, I am getting ample opportunity to enhance my personality. I gained confidence, improved my public speaking skills. Organizing events, acting as bridge between university and Google and instructing the team taught me management. Giving various tech talks also furnished my technical skills. Dealing with college administration and Google also taught me the formal way of getting things done (the way things actually happen in the corporate world).
My getting selected in this program has put Meghalaya in the group of states that are successful in having a GSA. Through our workshops, we have reached out and trained a number of students in various fields such as app and web development, design thinking and prototyping.
We spread awareness about various opportunities from Google such as app development contests, various hangouts on technical topics by experts, scholarships like Anita Borg Scholarship and many others.
Apart from working on a website that promotes tourism, we are planning to reach out to NGOs to help give Meghalaya a strong online presence.
I am already in discussion with my mentor at Google for spreading awareness in nearby colleges about GSA. I personally want Meghalaya to produce more GSAs.
I wouldn’t perhaps have come this far without the support of my parents – businessman Vishwanath Kanugo and homemaker Babita Kanugo. I am sure parents in Meghalaya too would encourage their wards in getting connected to the wide web world of Google while staying connected to their roots.