I have spent my childhood in the farmlands of Salem, Tamil Nadu.

Most kids of my age despised going to school, but it was the opposite for me.

I enjoyed going to school very much. I was a curious kid who would always nudge my teachers to tell me more about robotics, hacking and computers. I grew up listening to the anecdotes of Jonathan James and how he hacked NASA at the age of 16.

My teachers were always supportive of my inquisitiveness. I entered college with the same energy, and participated in several national and international IoT hackathons and hardware competitions. Indo European Entrepreneurial Hackathon and Smart India Hackathon were the ones I aced.

In the final year of engineering, my father passed away. It was a big setback for me and my mother. My health went downhill after this incident. I was at home in Salem and shut off from the outside world.

Fate intervened when I stumbled upon a notification for the CyberShikshaa BFSI training program from the placement cell of my college.

Intrigued by the prospect of learning hacking and cyber security, I hopped on to the opportunity.

The classes were scheduled to happen in Dehradun, which meant I had to pack my bags and leave Selam. My mother stood strong for me through this. She said "You must go. I'll manage."

The program exceeded my expectations, and I learnt a spectrum of cybersecurity facets beyond hacking. From network security to data protection, I learnt so much that was absent from my college curriculum.

I relished each moment, knowing that this experience was steering me towards bigger opportunities. I eventually got selected for the Factory Cyber Security Analyst role in 'Upfield', which is a global leader in plant-based foods.

The nerdy, young Devi Bharti is rooting for me even louder now.

My story, rooted in Salem but molded in the crucible of CyberShikshaa, shows what inquisitiveness and determination can do when given the right opportunity.