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<\/p>\nGreek mythology teaches that Prometheus took fire from the gods to hand to civilization and that made possible the transformative innovations we have today. Though Rahul Mittal \u201921 hasn\u2019t taken fire from Mount Olympus, he is providing a gift to Panthers that will be life changing.<\/p>\n
Mittal\u2019s connections to FIU run deep. He was a torchbearer for the 2023 Trail of the Torch, Presidential Scholar, Homecoming Prince, featured in an episode of the Amazon Prime Video series \u201cThe College Tour,\u201d featuring FIU, and he co-authored three research papers and one book chapter on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
He can now add donor to his list of contributions to the FIU community.<\/p>\n
After graduating Summa Cum Laude in the spring of 2021 with a major in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science, Mittal relocated to Austin, Texas, to work as a data engineer at Dell Technologies. He jokingly explained that his job consists of creating PowerPoints, but the role is not so simple. \u201cI am responsible for generating more than a hundred thousand customer-facing reports every week for Dell customers,\u201d he explained, adding that \u201cautomation and modeling of the data to add value to our customers\u201d falls under the purview of his work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the job I have at Dell \u2013 the things I do \u2013 are very different from what I learned at FIU, just because the industry is so fast moving,\u201d Mittal shared. \u201cI like the constant learning and having a problem to solve and figuring out how to solve it is my favorite part.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an international student from India, where he went to The Emerald Heights International School, in the city of Indore, Mittal recounted the difficulties of adapting to a new environment while also trying to academically succeed. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to order Chipotle when I ordered Chipotle for the first time. A lot of my friends who have been here knew how to do that,\u201d Mittal admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs international students, you\u2019re always afraid of reaching out, of being mocked, but I feel like FIU gave me that safe space that I was never worried about reaching out and asking questions,\u201d he shared. However, as he was adapting to his newfound life, there were academic obstacles to overcome. As he explained, he was introverted and used to speaking Hindi with friends, and he attempted to reinvent himself despite the culture shock.<\/p>\n
It was during this time of personal struggle that he received the Tony Menendez Computer Scholarship, which provided funds for him to buy a laptop and changed his life forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was actually renting a laptop from the library and going to the computer lab to do all my assignments. I had my first internship during my first semester, which I lost\u2026 because I didn\u2019t have a laptop, and it was during that first semester that I found out I got the scholarship to get the laptop,\u201d Mittal recounted. \u201cThat was a pivotal moment in my trajectory at FIU. The scholarship gave me a high-end laptop, which I really needed for my classes and for my internships, so I felt like it was a godsend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only did the scholarship provide a laptop for Mittal to excel in his classes, but it fueled the drive for him to persevere and offer the same help to other international Panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFIU believes in so many people, and the donors believed that this money should go to me and\u2026 [it] pushed me even further,\u201d Mittal explained, noting that it \u201cwas fuel for me to keep going, so when I graduated and I was in a position to finally give back, I said to myself \u2018there\u2019s no other way I would do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittal credits his grandfather, Rajendra Mittal, with influencing and inspiring his ambition to learn and succeed, which was valuable to Mittal while developing his work ethic. To honor Rajendra, Mittal and FIU established the Rajendra Mittal International Excellence Award, which is dedicated to First Time in College international students in STEM fields, with a special preference for those who are enrolled in the Honors College and College of Engineering & Computing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rahul Mittal and Rajendra Mittal<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day I graduated, my grandfather passed away due to COVID,\u201d Mittal shared. \u201cIt was a really sad day because he was the one who sponsored my education before the scholarships could, and he was the one who believed in me coming abroad and actually going to school.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s sad in the sense that he didn\u2019t get to see the fruits of his hard work of me graduating. He didn\u2019t get to see me in a gown and cap, and he didn\u2019t get to see me getting my first full-time job, so for me, I needed a way to thank him,\u201d Mittal added.<\/p>\n
Mittal wanted to share with others the gift that his grandfather shared with him. To do so, he chose the Pathway to Philanthropist (P2P) program over creating a traditional endowment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I\u2019m just starting in my career\u2026 it wouldn\u2019t have been easy to start with the traditional endowment and would\u2019ve taken me five or six years to see the impact of the gift,\u201d Mittal explained. In choosing the P2P program, Mittal was attracted to \u201cthe perpetuity piece of the scholarship, so this is something that can honor my grandfather\u2019s legacy. It\u2019s something that goes on forever. Even when I\u2019m not there, his name is still out there in the form of this award. I felt like that was something very important to me to put his name out there to make sure that future Panthers also knew who he was and know his values and his impact. It\u2019s not my impact but his impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abdullah Naveed, a sophomore studying Electrical Engineering with Honors and a minor in Mathematical Sciences, is the first recipient of the Rajendra Mittal International Excellence Award.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Rahul Mittal and Abdullah Naveed<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will give me a chance to focus more on my studies and my research rather than take an extra desk shift, so I can make ends meet,\u201d Naveed explained. \u201cI can give more time to my educational needs, and I can study harder for my classes and ensure that I meet all of my GPA requirements for my other scholarships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittal and Naveed had an opportunity to discuss both their personal journeys and the award. As both shared, scholarships have a reputation of being \u201cdisembodied.\u201d A donor can create a scholarship and never meet the recipient. With this in mind, Mittal and Naveed felt it was important to meet. To further develop their academic relationship, Mittal plans on undertaking a mentorship role with Naveed, which Mittal says is in the nature of being a Panther.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think being a \u2018Panther\u2019 [is] having that roaring personality inside of you that wherever you go you have the confidence, you have the care for people, and you have a care for society and community,\u201d Mittal said. \u201cI feel like those are the values I learned being a Panther \u2013 that you\u2019re not just concerned about yourself, you\u2019re concerned about the people around you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittal was drawn to attend FIU because of its “International” appeal, explaining that FIU taught him he could accomplish great feats, and sometimes those feats include lighting the path forward for other Panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, being a Panther is being strong, caring about your community, and doing things with excellence,\u201d Mittal expressed.<\/p>\n
With the Rajendra Mittal International Excellence Award, Mittal not only honors the life of his grandfather, but in the true nature of the university, he gives back to his community. By helping a fellow Panther move forward, Mittal continues to drive the excellence that defines FIU because, as he explains, \u201cI owe it to FIU.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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