More than eight years after moving to the United States, an Indian entrepreneur shares a reality check on immigrant life, loneliness, resilience and the challenge of building a life from nothing to something in a new country.In an Instagram social media post, the founder recalled his journey from working in data science and artificial intelligence to becoming an entrepreneur, startup advisor, content creator, and AI teacher in the US.“It’s been over 8 years since I moved to the United States,” he wrote before explaining how immigration changed both his personal and professional life.According to the entrepreneur, adapting to a new country involves more than changing addresses. This means learning to navigate unfamiliar customs, social norms, and professional environments while trying to establish a sense of belonging.“Being an immigrant teaches you a lot,” he wrote.“It teaches you how to walk into rooms where no one knows your story and still believe you belong there.”He said the experience also means adjusting to a different culture, work environment and social life while gradually building confidence in one’s abilities.The founder explained that he started his career as a data science and AI professional in the US before facing a lengthy and demanding immigration process.“Then came a grueling immigration process that tested my patience, resilience and belief in myself more times than I can count.”Over time, he left traditional employment aside and created his own business, working as an entrepreneur advising startups, teaching AI, and creating content.“None of this happened overnight,” he wrote.She credited America for helping her advance professionally, but said immigration also comes with emotional challenges that are often overlooked.“Professionally, America has taught me to ask for what I’m worth, to speak up when something doesn’t feel right, and to stop minimizing my ambitions to make other people feel comfortable.”Additionally, he described the loneliness that many immigrants experience after leaving their country.“But immigration also brings a very specific kind of loneliness,” she wrote.“You don’t just change countries.”“You make your whole life anew.”The entrepreneur said immigrants often have to actively navigate issues of housing, employment, visas, health care, taxes, friendships and identity with little guidance while trying to settle into an unfamiliar environment.“You figure out apartments, jobs, visas, friendships, health care, taxes, identity, belonging, and hundreds of little things that no one prepares you for.”He also talked about the criticism he received from strangers over his decision to move abroad.“I have strangers saying to me, ‘Go back to India and contribute to the economy.'”“I have strangers tell me I ‘left my mom alone.'”Responding to those comments, he argued that a person’s connection with his family and homeland cannot be measured by where he lives.“They don’t understand: Geography doesn’t define how much you love your family. Geography doesn’t define how much you care for your parents. And geography does not define your patriotism.”The founder said it’s possible to stay connected to one’s roots while still looking for opportunities elsewhere.“You can love where you come from and still choose to make a life somewhere else. You can pursue bigger opportunities without leaving your roots.”Looking back on his decision to go to America, he said that it was never a matter of turning away from India. Instead, it was about taking a chance on yourself and pursuing opportunities in a place where success was there to be earned.“For me, coming here wasn’t about leaving home behind. It was about betting on myself in a place where I had to make my way into every room. And that’s something I will never apologize for.”
Who is Aishwarya Srinivasan?
Aishwarya Srinivasan is an Indian-born data scientist, AI teacher and entrepreneur who developed interest in data science at an early age. He studied Computer Science at VIT, where he completed 11 internships at organizations including EY, Microsoft, TCS and National Informatics Centre. During his university years, he also co-authored five research papers and worked on projects ranging from handwriting recognition software to stock market forecasting models.He later earned a master’s degree from Columbia University, where he contributed to the open-source machine learning library Scikit-Learn and worked on a research project focused on predicting acute kidney injuries during surgery. After graduating, he spent three years at IBM in the United States, where he filed patents related to machine trading using reinforcement learning. She joined Google working on applications of data science in retail. Beyond his professional work, Srinivasan launched a volunteer mentorship platform to help students and AI professionals learn, network, and explore careers in artificial intelligence and data science. His mother was a research scientist at the International Management Institute (IMI) in Delhi.