A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes determination, confidence and hard work. All these qualities essential for success were exemplified by Mr. Antonio Fernandes who came to visit Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School. He was warmly welcomed and formally introduced by our Director, Mr. Vyankatesh Prabhudesai. Having done his B.E. in Electrical and Electronics from BITS Pilani and completing his Master’s degree at UC Berkeley, Mr. Antonio was a student in one of Aryaan’s earliest batches.
He began by recounting his days as a student and his struggles. “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” And Mr. Antonio told us that despite failures, he kept believing in himself and never stopped trying.
He also opened up about his life as an engineering manager at Apple. He told us how the learning experience in the US was different from that in India. He and his team at Apple were involved in materializing the idea of AirPods.
Mr. Antonio also faced a barrage of questions from the students who were enthralled by his personality, answering a question, he said that the transformation from a boy to a man takes place when he realizes his responsibilities and what brings him back to Goa is his love and duty towards his parents. He also enthusiastically answered numerous technical questions. It was indeed very inspiring for all of us to interact with such a dynamic personality.
– Prepared by Chinmayee Kalangutkar, Student of STD XI, MAHSS