⏳ From Alps to NLP: A 2022 Recap of Exploration and Growth

reflections
goals
Author

muhtasham

Published

December 26, 2022

📝 Preface

As I look back on the year 2022, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia and wonder.

🌊 Intro

It’s been a challenging year for many of us, with all the ups and downs that come with life. But despite the difficulties, I remain hopeful that things will get better.

✨ Some highlights of the year

One of the biggest highlights of the year was completing my master’s thesis. This was a major milestone for me, and one that I dedicated to my late grandfather Boboi Usto, who was an educator and convinced my father to move our family to the city from a distant village to get a better education. I’m grateful for my grandfather’s influence and for the opportunity to receive a good education, and I’m proud of all the hard work I put into my thesis.

The experience of completing my thesis was immersive and full of learning, and I’m now working on making it more generalizable. It’s an exciting process, and I’m looking forward to refining my findings and sharing them with a wider audience.

As I reflect on the role that my grandfather played in my education and career, I’m reminded of the importance of appreciating our ancestors and the sacrifices they made to provide opportunities for future generations. It’s easy to take the things we have for granted, but it’s important to remember that they are often the result of hard work and dedication on the part of those who came before us.

In addition to completing my thesis, I also had the chance to participate in four hackathons this year, and I’m proud to say that I won in three of them. It was a great experience to work with a team to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to put my skills to the test.

I also took the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences through writing. I published two blog posts on Medium, which gave me the chance to reflect on my journey and share my insights with others.

🔥 One of the other major highlights of the year was co-founding MunichNLP community in May and being able to organise 17 events in a short time span. And exchanging thoughts with great researchers from Google Research and Brain team.

It’s been great to be able to bring together individuals who are passionate about machine learning, and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and develop the group in the coming year.

The last but by no means least, I found new HOME at MunichRe, on a very interesting and challenging project. I plan to share my learning next year through my writings, so stay tuned.

🌄 Wanderlust within me

In addition to my professional and academic pursuits, I also made the most of my time by exploring the beautiful Alps and nature surrounding Bavaria. I also had the chance to travel to new countries, including Italy 🇮🇹 and Switzerland 🇨🇭 

🍝 In Italy, I fell in love with the delicious and flavourful cuisine, which was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. From the classic pasta dishes to the mouthwatering pizzas, I couldn’t get enough of the fresh, high-quality ingredients and simple, yet satisfying flavours.

🏔️ In Switzerland, I was mesmerised by the stunning natural beauty of the country, with its soaring peaks and crystal-clear lakes. The mountains were rugged and wild, with trails that led up to breathtaking vistas. And the lakes were so clear and pure that you could see right down to the bottom.

These were unforgettable experience and one that I will always treasure.

🧩 Outro

As I look ahead to the next year, I have a few goals in mind. First, I want to make my fitness more consistent. I also hope to give a talk at PyData Berlin conference and attend NeurIPS ’23 (aka The Deep Learning conference of the year). I believe that setting goals is an important way to stay motivated and to continue to grow and learn, and I’m looking forward to working towards these goals in the coming year.

To conclude, I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and for the support of my family, friends, and colleagues. I’m excited to see what the next year brings, and I’m looking forward to continuing to pursue my passions and goals.

As Albert Einstein once said,

I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.

I hope to stay curious and continue to learn and grow in the coming year.


Thank you for reading my year in review. I hope that you have enjoyed learning about my experiences and adventures in 2022. I wish you all the best and hope that your future is filled with joy and success. Thank you for your support and here’s to a bright future ahead!