My life story (so far)
In a recent conversation with Sahar, he reminded me that my story is what sets me apart. For a long time, I hesitated to embrace it, but he was right. So, here is a short, biased account of how I got here.
I was born into a lower-middle-class family in a small village in Nepal.
Because there were no good schools nearby, I moved away from my parents at the age of five to live with my uncle in the city.
I began my formal education at Gautam School, but for years, I struggled. I failed my terms and barely passed my finals; I didn't repeat a grade, but I was close.
Everything changed in grade four.
For reasons I still don’t fully understand, my teacher made me the class captain. It was an odd choice for a student who could barely pass, but the responsibility forced me to grow. I realized that to lead, I had to work. That was the start of a decade-long streak of academic success and student leadership.
By grade six, I was captaining the Green House and my sports teams, though I eventually realized I wasn’t an athlete.
In grade seven, I found my real lane: writing. It started with a short story that caught the attention of the English department, followed by poems and essays. I kept writing largely because of my grade eight teacher, Karishma Ma’am; her constant feedback and encouragement gave me the confidence to continue. She remains the most incredible teacher I've ever had.
By grade nine, I was acting as a substitute teacher for Computer Science, English, and Math when classes were unattended. I was also serving as the President of the Interact Club, eventually earning the Interactor of the Year Award for Nepal and Bhutan (District-3292). It was a year of highs, but also lows—it was the year I was bullied.
When COVID-19 hit, I spent my time at home learning to build websites. I joined Bridge to Literacy as a web developer and found myself teaching English to students in Honduras.
In grade 10, I served as the ECA Head and Social Welfare Program Coordinator, while also acting as the school photographer.
In late 2020, I moved to Kathmandu for my final years of high school.
I bought my first Mac—a MacBook Air M1 (thank you, bhaiya). Upgrading from a 2012 desktop with 2GB of RAM to an M1 was a revelation.
I started High Approach to share assignments, but it grew into a registered business with over 75,000 monthly readers.
The revenue paid for most of my high school and proved just how much technology could scale an idea to serve a global community.
In 2022, I led Explore Idea, our high school's oldest club, organizing national competitions, podcasts, table talks, cinematic promos, and sessions with the Prime Minister of Nepal.
I also launched this website, inspired by Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work, so I could write for myself without the commercial incentive of SEO.
The momentum continued into 2023. I released a tutorial series for Harvard’s CS50 and committed to my weekly newsletter, Figuring Things Out.
I write to share the messy journey of becoming a better human. Today, one thousand readers follow along—a number that would be higher if it weren't for my annual email list cleanup.
In 2024, I moved to New York for university. It was a massive shift, but I’ve since adapted to the New Yorker’s way of life.
Today, I am the President of the Computer Club at St. Joseph’s. When the school denied our request for a club website, we built it anyway. They eventually approved.
"Seek forgiveness, not permission" actually worked.
Now, I work as a STEM Peer Tutor, guiding other students through the same Math and CS concepts I once struggled with. Breaking down complicated concepts into simpler ideas is my favorite part of the work.
Life in New York is a constant juggle—maintaining a 4.0 GPA while making ends meet is a heavy lift that sometimes keeps me from deeper projects.
But I remain hopeful: things always get better.
This is where I am. I'm not exactly where I want to be yet, but I am making progress.
I take pride in this story.
If you’re on a similar journey, I’d love to connect with you. Shoot me an email, and let’s talk.