Congratulations to computer-engineering senior Aditya Wadaskar, who received a $1,000 scholarship during the 2019 National Engineers Week, which has been underway all this week. 

Each year the National Engineers Week Committee of Ventura & Santa Barbara awards $1,000 scholarships to college students enrolled in local colleges or universities for the purpose of attaining a degree in any field of engineering. 

Wadaskar, who was born in Bangalore, India, and raised in San Jose, said the scholarship would be a “considerable help” toward paying for his college education.

A hard worker who began taking apart electronic devices and, according to him, “occasionally putting them back together” when he was in fourth grade, he currently carries a 3.94 GPA, which has been helpful in securing a collection of scholarships worth a total of more than $7,000 in his senior year alone.

“The cost of applying for a scholarship is incredibly low — maybe a couple of hours of work — compared to the potential gain,” he said. 

Wadaskar had his choice of attending several universities, both in and out of state, but came to UC Santa Barbara, he said, because his visits to campus left him with the impression that while students were competitive, they were also collaborative. 

“The students who shared their experiences with us emphasized how much they enjoyed their time here and the camaraderie they share with other students. There was no cutthroat vibe; it was like everyone had each other’s back.”

In his three and a half years as a student in the College of Engineering, he said, “Every time I have needed help, other students have been willing to offer it. There is competition, which pushes you to do better, but the right balance of competition and collaboration at UCSB fosters the greatest growth and development.”

A self-described “nerd” when it comes to watching Marvel and DC Comics movies, he looks forward to working in industry, hopefully in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence, which, he says, “will affect every part of our daily lives.”

He adds, “I think it will be fascinating to apply the ML and AI knowledge I’ve gained to solve real-world problems, especially in the domains of home automation and the Internet of Things.”