Neeloy Chakraborty
Degree: BS Computer Engineering
Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), iRobotics (2017-2018)
Scholarships/Achievements:
Dean's List
Anheuser Busch Global Management Trainee Scholarship Program
James Scholars Honors
Eta Kappa Nu Honors Society
HackIllinois 2019 Sponsor Award Winners
What's next for you after graduation? I will be returning to the University of Illinois as an MS/PhD student of the ECE department under Katherine Rose Driggs-Campbell.
Favorite memory from your time in ECE: One of the most important things I've learned from my time in ECE has been to persevere and push through with others who are facing the same challenges I am. I look back on my time in ECE 120 as a freshman who was scared to make a mistake or say the wrong thing in class. I slowly but surely realized, I will never be the smartest person in a room at Illinois, but that just means I can always learn much more from others. Whenever I found others struggling like myself at the Grainger Library or the tables in the hallway next to the ECE 110 lab room, we would sit down together to solve these problems together. I can't say that these four years haven't been a constant struggle, but they truly have taught me how to persevere, communicate, collaborate, and approach problems in new ways. I can't wait to make loads of more memories here!
Favorite ECE class: I'd have to say my favorite and most memorable class I've taken has to be ECE 385 because it's the class that brought together my current closest Illinois friends group together.
Future plans? During my Masters degree, I hope to come to a conclusion on whether I would like to continue on to pursue a PhD. After graduate school, I plan to go into industry in robotics and AI.
Special mention/thanks: All of the people I have come closer over the years have truly propelled me forward. Coming from out of state, I was really glad to have been welcomed into the community. I would especially like to thank my current roommates and ECE-mates who I've known since freshman year: Amith Chivikula, Pranith Bottu, Nikhil Simha, Harris Mohamed, Jayam Shah, and Alex Vetsavong. Also, I was welcomed to the Human-Centered Autonomy Lab in Fall of 2019 and am incredibly grateful to Katherine Rose Driggs-Campbell, Shuijing Liu, Peixin Chang, and Eric Liang for allowing me to assist in my first ever undergraduate research project. Of course, I cannot thank my parents enough for supporting me through this whole journey and allowing me to leave the bird's nest: Savitri and Subhasish Chakraborty.
Advice for future Illinois ECE students: Remember, you are never alone. There are people who are going through the same classes and struggles you are right now. This is the time to make memorable moments, so reach out to others, have an all-nighter with your friends, have fun at RSOs, take a walk at Japan House, relax at a bar with friends, and just be a college student. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do the same things I was able to these past four years, so make the most of them!