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‘I took a bet on myself’: Student loses major scholarship, now leads YC-backed startup
After losing a major scholarship, a student chose projects, hackathons and internships over academics.
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A student who once lost a major university scholarship after choosing projects and internships over academics has shared how that decision changed his career. Satyam, a LinkedIn user, said he decided to “take a bet” on himself despite being warned that it was a bad idea. Years later, the choice helped put him on the path to building his own company, backed by a major startup accelerator.
Student loses scholarship
Sharing his journey on LinkedIn, Satyam wrote, “I got the biggest scholarship in my 1st year and then lost it.”
He recalled arriving in Canada and receiving one of the university’s biggest scholarships, which was awarded to only three students that year. With financial constraints at the time, the scholarship was particularly important to him.
However, after completing his first semester, Satyam realised that he had spent most of his time focusing on academics and maintaining his scholarship rather than pursuing what he actually wanted to do.
“So I took a bet on myself,” he wrote.
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He began working on projects, participating in hackathons every or every other weekend, and securing back-to-back internships, co-ops and research opportunities. Within his first month, he had lined up several opportunities for the following year.
The decision came at a cost. His grades suffered and he eventually lost his scholarship for his second year.
Satyam said he questioned himself for some time but was ultimately happy with his decision because he had kept the “bigger picture” in mind. He also recalled how several people told him it was a bad idea.
From hackathons to startup
Looking back, Satyam believes that losing the scholarship helped put him on a different path. He said that without making that choice, he may not have built the projects, participated in hackathons or secured the internships and research roles that eventually led him to start his own company.
He is now building the company with backing from a major startup accelerator, which he described as the “biggest startup accelerator” supporting them.
Concluding his post, he wrote, “Sometimes the thing everyone tells you to protect is protecting the wrong goal. Figure out what you’re actually playing for, and be willing to pay for it.”
Take a look:
How did social media react?
One person commented, “This is how legends do it! Long way to go, bro. Keep inspiring others.”
Another wrote, “You can only connect the dots looking backwards.”
A third user said, “You are very inspiring!”
(Also Read: Noida man questions city life over high rent: ‘Earn ₹25,000, spend ₹25,000 on rent’)
Someone who said they had followed his journey added, “Yes, I know about your journey and when you were posting about your hackathon wins here and getting opportunities. More power to you, brother. More power to you.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
