Vibhor did not discover coding until the 11th grade, but after learning Python in class, he was hooked. While working on his 12th grade capstone project, Vibhor recalls feeling like an experienced developer for high-end software, brainstorming project ideas on a large whiteboard with his team. From that point on, Vibhor knew he wanted to work as a developer, and enrolled in a four-year B.Tech program for Computer Science at the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology to take his passion for coding to the next level.

When he first arrived at college, Vibhor knew nothing about the hacker community—he thought it was like something in a movie—but he was inspired to learn more. He joined the only tech community available, the local chapter of Google Developer Student Clubs. Vibhor knew the club’s rules did not allow first-year students to join, but he took the initiative to approach one of the seniors in the program and ask her directly. After he explained his passion for coding, she noticed his enthusiasm and decided to allow Vibhor to interview along with the upperclassmen. Vibhor stayed awake until 1 a.m. waiting on the results to come in via Facebook, and was overjoyed when his name appeared among the accepted candidates. Within a year, Vibhor was working with the club in a tech coordinator role, helping with events and organizing the club’s annual hackathon. The following year, Vibhor had moved up to Head of Management and PR for the club, organized a national hackathon in India, and hosted a 6-day festival for app development in Flutter.

Vibhor himself attended his first hackathon just over 2 years ago, competing in Healthathon 2020. While he was new to hackathons, Vibhor was not new to hacking. In his free time, Vibhor had used his coding skills to create simple hacks aimed at convenience. For example, during his freshman year, he created a Python script which reduced the need to manually input user IDs and passwords for accessing campus internet. One project Vibhor is especially proud of was an automatic detection tool for facial paralysis, which helped to detect facial nerve palsy in a non-invasive way using image analysis.

Vibhor was the first in his family to pursue a career in tech. He credits the challenge of not having a set path to follow for his independence. Without specific guidance, Vibhor sought mentorship on his own and found it within the hacker community. Though he didn’t get his start in tech until the 11th grade, Vibhor has quickly become a trusted tech advisor for his friends and family. Growing up, Vibhor remembers the struggle of convincing his family, and especially his father, to trust new technology. Now, Vibhor has made tech enthusiasts out of his entire family: his little brother following in his academic footsteps, his mother shopping online, and his father paying bills online rather than making a monthly trip the old-fashioned way. 

Vibhor never turns down an opportunity to learn, even when it falls outside his area of expertise. He sees his career as the product of dedication, perseverance, and those all-hours “hustling nights” when he learned so much. Vibhor has also enrolled in an online program to complete a BS in Data Science and Programming at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, which he will complete at the same time he graduates from his B.Tech program at the Jaypee Institute of Technology. He already has two job offers lined up after graduation! Vibhor’s dedication to improving, learning, and mentoring will no doubt get him far in his future tech career.