IBM Artificial Intelligence Fundamental course

 

I have always been fascinated by data science and artificial intelligence. Over the past few years, I have taken numerous classes from major tech companies to deepen my understanding of data science. However, I had not yet enrolled in any comprehensive AI course that covered the fundamentals of the field. So, I decided to take the IBM Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals course during the winter break.

The IBM Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals course, which spans nine hours, covers a variety of topics including Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning/Deep Learning, AI Ethics, and the Future of AI. Although I had heard of these terms and had a basic idea about them, this course provided me with a much deeper understanding. The course utilizes a combination of articles, videos, and exercises, and goes into details of each concept. Every concept is divided into modules, and each module concludes with a five-question quiz to gauge your comprehension. Additionally, there is a 15-question test after each major topic, which you must pass to move on to the next one. Upon completing the course, you receive a badge as evidence of your accomplishment.

This course was somewhat longer but significantly more detailed than the ones I had taken previously. I've gained a lot of knowledge about artificial intelligence throughout the course, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in data science, machine learning, or AI.

AWS Cloud Computing Certification 101

 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Educate offers multiple courses on Cloud learning for people. Since Cloud is a relatively new concept for me, I chose Cloud Computing 101, which is suitable for a new-to-cloud learner like me. The high-level course is designed to set a foundation for cloud knowledge and help someone decide where to focus next in the Cloud learning journey. This interactive course covers the fundamentals as outlined below (putting the content from the AWS Educate course outline):

·         Define cloud computing and describe its benefits

·         Compare and contrast cloud computing service and deployment models

·         Identify the AWS Global Infrastructure

·         Discuss the shared responsibility model

·         Describe the Well-Architected Framework and its role in building flexible and reliable architectures

·         Identify the use, features, and benefits of Amazon Web Services (AWS) core services

·         Practice using AWS core services in a lab environment

·         Describe four entry-level cloud computing careers

After successfully passing the assessment test, I recently finished this course and got my certification. I have an understanding of the fundamentals of cloud computing. 

Cloud computing is a new technology concept that allows users to access computing resources such as software applications, storage, and so on from any device other than a computer/local server. The way cloud computing works is that there is a central data center with a plethora of data storage and network equipment that can connect to any personal device. This sort of computing is becoming more popular for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to scalability, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility. All of these advantages are driving large organizations to adopt cloud computing. 

Amazon Web Service (AWS) is the most widely used cloud computing provider for various reasons. It has a large number of data centers around the world that can connect various devices all over the world and in different geographic regions. AWS pricing is quite flexible and cheap compared to other cloud computing providers. AWS offers high security and ensures that the user's data is protected. It also has excellent customer support. 

As a high school student who appreciates coding, I can use AWS as a development platform. AWS provides sample projects and will assist me in creating my project one day. Aside from coding, AWS can help me become a better student by providing several resources and learning materials to help me study my academic subjects better. I aim to continue learning and experimenting with various AWS Cloud services.

Machine Learning Foundations: Statistics

During this winter break, I decided to take a quick LinkedIn course on Machine Learning Statistics. Machine Learning is an aspect of Artificial Intelligence that processes data entered by humans to assist the AI in learning. Recognizing statistics will aid in gaining insights into the data, recognizing the uncertainties involved with predictions, and confidently making data-driven decisions. 

This course was a great introduction to machine learning, given that I had little prior experience with the subject. This course takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete, and you will receive a certificate of completion at the conclusion. The learning includes short clips to view and learn about statistics throughout the course. It covers various statistics topics, including probability, data graph analysis, correlation, etc. The course includes a short quiz after each lesson to move on to the next one, and you could repeat the question or rewatch a video if you need help understanding something. This course is of appropriate duration for someone starting new on this topic. I recommend taking it if you are interested in Machine Learning or Statistics. 

My Second Covenant House Sleep Out & Learning as Team Captain

 

I joined the Covenant House SleepOut and Fundraising event for the second year. I was delighted to do this volunteering opportunity again after having an excellent last year. Instead of raising funds alone, I formed a volunteer team from my High School. I decided to start a volunteer group with a few of my friends. The recruiting procedure was challenging because many friends were too busy with other activities and needed clarification on the fundraising process. Eventually, I recruited six friends to form a team of seven. Our objective was to raise $5000, which was attainable.

I coordinated with Covenant House, IL Fundraising Specialist. She spent time with the team to provide tips and tricks for fundraising.

 My Learning as the Waubonsie Valley Highschool Team Captain:

Throughout the fundraising period, I found that some team members needed to be more dedicated because they were preoccupied with other things. However, as a leader, I continued reminding people to reach out to as many people in their network as possible to raise money. Eventually, some of my friends appeared to contribute funds for the team, but more was needed. We only raised $1000 as a team, but it was still a lot of money, and I exceeded my individual fundraising last year. It was worth the effort to create a team and experience team dynamics while raising funds.

My most significant learning was around recruitment. I needed to recruit people who would be dedicated to a cause and go all out to achieve the objectives. We fell far short of our goal since some team members were not committed enough to the cause and raised no funds.

Also, Fundraising is more complex than it sounds. People are too shy to ask for money. I have contacted my family, friends, coaches, and other known people. I have seen success in that approach.

Overall, this year was a valuable learning experience for next year when I can recruit individuals willing to devote time to this team and cause.

Please read more about Covenant House, IL, here.

My First Cross Country Season 2023

I participated in my first cross-country running season this past fall. I had enjoyed track and was curious to experience cross-country.   I started running relatively late in my academic career, as I only began running track in the first week of March during my sophomore year.

I didn't enjoy it for the first two to three weeks because I didn't run throughout the summer. I had difficulty adjusting to the new season. At the start of the season, I would frequently get calf cramps in addition to severe knee pain. While trying to get over the aches, I rolled my ankle during a workout, which caused it to swell. The injury was minor—I missed only two days—but it was difficult for me to recover because of the persistent agony. Fortunately, as the first race drew near, my discomfort subsided. 

I ran varsity in my first race and clocked 21:19. Though I was not happy with my time, the coach thought it was a good first race and encouraged me to practice more. When competing in my first cross-country race, I had no idea that the sport had more strategy than trying for the best time. I would run with the freshmen and sophomores during the cross-country season instead of the upper-class students because if I kept up my hard effort, the coach would start forcing me to run with them. By the end of the year, I was in excellent form, and my time had continued to improve. 

A lot was riding in the Conference Championship, and the coach clarified that the top 14 athletes would advance to the Regionals. I felt good about myself and hopeful of making it to the Regionals. However, the race was held in appalling conditions - it was pouring heavily, the temperature was low, and the hills and grass were muddy and slick, making running difficult. Even though I ran one of my worst times of the season—19:55—I could still qualify for Regionals despite my mediocre performance. It was a proud moment for me in my first season. The coach conducted a “one-mile” and “two-mile” time trial towards the end of the year, and I smashed my track record for both. I beat my two-mile Personal Record (PR) by 41 seconds and my one-mile PR by 15 seconds. This season, we did not compete to the best of our skills as a team because of many injuries. I was pleasantly surprised and happy when I got recognition at the end-of-the-year award ceremony. I got two awards: 

Dupage Valley Conference (DVC) Academic All-Conference Award: This award is presented to Varsity athletes with outstanding athletic performance and excellence in academics(GPA 3 and above) 

Waubonsie Valley High School Varsity Athletic Award in Cross Country: This award is presented to Varsity athletes with outstanding athletic performance.

The season was fantastic, with a lot of learning. I am hoping for a successful track season in 2024. 

My Baseball Journey and Learnings from the beautiful game

I've been playing baseball since fourth grade. It all started in 2015, when I watched a Cubs vs. Marlins game. My love for the sport was cemented by that. I recall not knowing any rules or even what innings were, but seeing Kris Bryant blast a two-run homerun changed my opinion of the sport. Since that game, I've been obsessed with baseball, and every night, I'd beg my father to join a baseball league so I could play. Finally, in spring 2017, my father registered me for the Naperville Little League. Coach Mike, my first coach, greeted me there. He was an important instructor because he taught me how to field a ground ball and swing a bat. This season did not go well because we just won one game, and I could not play that game because of a family engagement. However, the excitement I felt when going up to bat was a great feeling and made me want to continue playing this game. 

My second season was a bit of a letdown because I played Little League in the fall with an older team with many players as many as two grades above me. They were competitive, and I had not evolved as much and still needed to gain experience. They would become quite furious at me whenever I made a mistake, and I would not have as much fun. Despite this, I was able to significantly enhance my defensive ability because the coach for this team only made us practice defense and no batting. My batting remained the same since I couldn't consistently contact the ball. During my third season, my batting ability skyrocketed as I made consistent contact and hit many line drives with consistent practice and focus. After that third season, I gained a lot of confidence and increased my hitting abilities year after year as I got stronger and my hits went farther. Furthermore, my pitching was quite strong, and I struck out many batters. However, COVID-19 hit during the Spring of 2020, and I did not play Baseball that year. This would be highly detrimental to my game. 

I moved to a more competitive league called the Wheatland Athletics Association(WAA) Competitive League in 2021, the first time I tried out for a baseball team. My game was terrible at tryouts and preclinic since I had forgotten all the mechanics after not playing in over a year. But, with some luck, I was selected for the team. I met another critical coach, whose name, unexpectedly, was also Coach Mike. He assisted me in getting back into condition before the season and also taught me a few more fielding techniques. During the first half of the season, I felt like I was back in shape, and my absence for a year had no effect on me. However, I began striking out frequently in the second half of the season and kept getting underneath the ball. I had my natural swing, but as I struck out more and more, I started worrying about the fundamentals, which messed up my swing even more. My team ended up as the Division Runners Up and lost out in the finals. I played summer ball in a recreational league after the spring season. I was dominant because I hit several line drives and pitched exceptionally well. This restored my confidence, and I was selected for the All-Star game, which was a fantastic experience. After the season, the coach of that recreational team urged me to try out for the Wheatland Ducks, a travel baseball team that would help me to improve my game and make the high school roster. As soon as I understood this, I began preparing for the tryouts by working really hard for the next few weeks. I also put a lot of pressure on myself. I tried out for the Ducks, and while my performance wasn't spectacular, it wasn't terrible either, from my perspective. However, I was unable to make the team, which is regrettable. I felt like I had worked hard for nothing, which made me quite angry. Unfortunately, this thinking did not work, so my game continued deteriorating. 

At the start of my Freshman year, I attended every high school baseball open gym over the winter, which was open practice, and I would also practice a lot outside of school hours. I focused too much on making it to the school roster during this period. I used to get quite upset whenever I messed up or when my dad threw a bad ball in the batting cages because I worried about the high school tryouts. This way of thinking affected my performance and, more importantly, how much I enjoyed the game. I was playing fairly well during the spring when high school tryouts began, and on the final day I had a very good performance. Unfortunately, the coaches did not choose me because I was too slow and small. As a result, I became outraged because I felt it was unjust, given how much effort I had put in. 

I could not play Baseball for a few months because there were no open high school leagues. Therefore, I would attend a private training session with Coach Cinz. He is a professional baseball player, and when I started to see the consequences of my swings, my mechanics gradually improved. The Naperville Baseball Association, a local high school league, was where I tried out, and they were the best tryouts I've ever had. I was incredibly cool-headed and forgave myself quickly for whatever mistakes I made. I was eager to play, and I made the team. Sadly, the team that chose me was made up entirely of juniors and seniors. As a result, I did not receive much playing time from the coach, so my game remained rusty and not very good. He would only play me for two innings to give the more experienced players a better opportunity. 

I would try out for the Wheatland Ducks again after the summer to increase my chances of making the high school roster. I had a terrible tryout because I couldn't make contact with the ball, and many of the balls went overhead in the outfield. I was certain I wouldn't make the team, but my dad received an email from the Wheatland Ducks the following morning letting him know I did. I felt ecstatic since I hadn't experienced anything positive in baseball for a while. 

I first used wooden bats while playing with the Ducks in the fall. I cherished the sensation of using a wooden bat. Compared to my previous seasons, this one was among my best because I could hit a few base hits. However, my game improved in the winter. The workouts were excellent, and we would practice for an hour and a half on weekends. On both the offensive and defensive ends, they emphasized mechanics a lot. 

I spent a lot of time working out with Coach Bill Smith, the head coach. He has played the sport for more than 40 years, and when the winter exercises were coming to a conclusion and high school trials were approaching, he helped me mentally. Some key learnings from Coach Bill –

●   He taught me that you should enjoy the work rather than the end goal. This is true for baseball and all you do in life.

●     He also instilled in me the value of never giving up by sharing a moving tale of one of the former athletes he coached. That player was cut from his high school squad every year, but in his senior year, he signed with a professional team and spent his final year with them. That player is now a professional who recently won a championship and currently plays overseas.

●    He was also a big proponent of little improvements every time you step out on the field. Every little progress adds up to building a better personality the next day.

●    He emphasized focus, dedication, and hard work for your cause. This is true for your game and life! 

I was very motivated; these lessons helped me develop into a baseball player and a better person. I again tried out for the high school squad in the spring, but I unfortunately did not do well. I played with the Ducks travel team in the summer tournaments across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. I was exposed to top-performing teams and travel tournaments, including the Stay-In tournament in Wisconsin. After this season, going into Junior year, I decided to stop playing baseball. Finally, I discovered that everything occurs for a reason. I joined my school’s track and field team during my Sophomore year since I didn't make the school baseball team. I currently compete for the high school track and field team and enjoy myself. I will continue the same during my Junior and Senior years. 

I will continue to be connected to baseball - I intend to coach a Little League team next summer. 

The game itself and teachers like Coach Bill have both taught me a ton of valuable life skills. I've discovered that baseball and life are remarkably similar; both teach you a lot through failures. Several top athletes have a batting average .300, indicating a missed shot of .700 times! But instead of giving up or losing your motivation/passion over the difficulties, keep going, take pleasure, and learn during the process. The ones who enjoy this game the most are the most successful at it. So always remember to have fun in everything you do in life. I'm grateful to baseball for helping me grow as a person and improve my quality of life.

Summer 2023 – Beautiful Niagara Falls

 

My family and I decided to visit Niagara Falls from the Canadian and American sides. We chose this route because we had previously visited Niagara Falls from the American side. To see the multiple falls at Niagara Falls, we decided to do the Canadian City Cruise(the Canadian equivalent of the Maid of the Mist), the Scenic Drive, and a lot of walking/mini-Hiking. I've been to Niagara Falls many times, which amazes me.

Since the falls produce approximately 75000 gallons of water every second, the river before the fall is incredibly turbulent. Everything about the falls is interesting to observe, and the roar of the falls is also quite remarkable to hear. Various activities beyond the Falls include minor entertainment venues, a waterpark, and a bird zoo. The primary attractions, however, are located near the Falls and include Maid of the Mists, a zipline, the Cave of the Winds, and a journey behind the falls. These attractions are incredibly unique and cool because they allow you to get a close-up look at each of the Falls and feel the mist tap you in the face. 

I plan to enjoy Cave of the Winds if we return there again.