Venkata Prasanth Pasupuleti’s inspiring life story continues to echo through the classrooms of IIIT Hyderabad, long after he graduated two years back. An RF Validation engineer at Texas Instruments, the first batch-er of the SPEC channel walks us through challenges converted into opportunities, and enablers who were the wind beneath his wings.

When you are in a growth mindset with a never-give up attitude, failures and hardships become switching points that significantly alter the trajectory of the brave. For Venkata Prasanth Pasupuleti, it was overcoming the odds of early financial struggles and a series of unconventional choices.

Opting for ECE was a bold move for the RGUKT topper who joined IIIT Hyderabad via the first batch of SPEC channel.

Failing in every subject in electronics, except workshop, in his first year was the nicest thing to happen, believes the Poster boy of SPEC. Repeating the year allowed him to strengthen his foundation in electronics. He went on to become Head TA in the very subjects that he had earlier failed. He also published a paper at a premier international conference that paved the way for his present role at Texas Instruments.

Tough times create a tough scholar
Born in a secluded village Vemulapadu in Nellore district, Prasanth’s parents are agriculturists. Seeking better educational opportunities for her son, he was shipped off to his maternal grandparents’ home in Chiramana village. So remote was Vemulapadu that it didn’t even appear on Google Maps until Prasanth himself pinned it during a recent visit.

An extremely penurious childhood saw him working on the farm by day and studying by the light of kerosene lantern and streetlamps at night. Sometimes when his grandparents returned late, he would make do with a meal of leftover rice, salt and water. That was the reality then.

Between farm chores and ferrying his aunt to her job as post-master at a faraway post office, school attendance was irregular.   But the school establishment recognized his potential and helped him broaden his horizons. An RSS shakha in class eight taught him self-discipline and the pride of nation-building, that he passed on to juniors in school. Yoga and meditation fine-tuned his sense of Self. Reading opened up his universe. A regular at the local library, wisdom gleaned from its 600+ books including biographies of scientists and personality development texts found expression in elocution contests at school.

Dr. Prasad, his science teacher, had a special equation with him since his daughter and Prasanth’s mother were classmates, competing for top spot in class. “In spite of her intelligence, my mother had to give up her studies. It thus became my responsibility to raise myself as a role model for my three younger siblings”, observes Prasanth who went on to win the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Award in 2016 as school topper in the 10th board exams. 

The school celebrated his stellar board results with a large flexi poster outside his school. Villagers who had seen him working around the farm were amazed at the youngster who had managed to ace his studies and farm work.

IIIT Hyderabad’s first SPEC outreach
When the IIIT-H team first visited his RGUKT school, it was the part about research opportunities that won him over. But the financial component, and reluctance by the extended family seemed unsurmountable. “It was my IT mentor from RGUKT RK Valley, B Ramesh, who finally convinced my parents”, he smiles.

IIITH’s  SPEC program is a special admission channel into B. Tech programs in ECE and CSE for students from marginalized communities, with extraordinary talent. Rural applicants with a STEM background are recruited through RGUKT, UDAAN and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) and are fully funded through corporate sponsors and Alumni funding, covering the 4-year B. Tech tuition, hostel and living expenses.   Graduating students voluntarily repay opportunities enjoyed, with financial assistance to a needy student. “While the initial adjustment was tough, Prof. Jayanti Sivaswamy, Prof. Lalitha Vadlamani, Prof. Dipti Misra, Prof. Vikram Pudi and other faculty were like family, going out of their way to give us extra attention”, he recalls. 

Failure – Fingerposts on path to success
Prasanth realized quickly that his Plus 2 curricula had been grossly inadequate. “I studied for hours at night but was lagging behind a month in everything. In my first year, I failed in all the foundation courses but topped the electronic workshop project”. It was ironical that a month before the exams, he had motivated juniors and their parents at the IIIT-H outreach presentation at his former school. “And here I was, repeating a year. Those juniors would now be my classmates”.

That summer in 2019, Prasanth stayed back on campus, to strengthen his concepts in electronics. “It was a bold decision but the right one. In life you need to accept failure and work on it”, he muses. He enrolled in an online learning platform on microcontrollers and built an Automatic Fire Control System and Theft Alert System using ESP-32, that bagged the fourth prize in a Pan-India innovation challenge by BOLT IoT.   

“My strength was always hands-on project work in the labs”, observes Prasanth whose team built the prototype for a Speed Checker for Highways that caught the attention of Prof. Aftab Hussain. During his internship with Prof. Sachin Chaudhary, he developed the prototype for air pollution monitoring that could be used in smart cities. By the end of that year, he joined CVEST.

A mentor and creating waves on campus
At CVEST, he connected with Prof. Anshu Sarje, who taught the analog electronic course, “that had added the zeroes to my first year”, he smiles. “Prof. Anshu Sarje was a driving force behind my growth during the later years of my B. Tech, showing genuine care and support while guiding me not only in technical matters but also through meaningful conversations about life, character, and personal growth.”

Prof. Sarje recalls, “Venkata joined my research group as an honor student and teaching assistant, in his 2nd year. He showed lots of enthusiasm and interest in technical details. During lockdown time, he and his friend were so engrossed in their research project that I permitted them to stay back on campus, to work on it. He goes deep into the subject, reads and asks questions, all great signs of a good student”.

“Venkata started work on a thin film sensor. Within a year, he had built a working sensor and published in an international conference (IEEE SENORS’s FLEPS 2022) as first author; a very commendable achievement for a 3rd UG student. He proved his technical strength by getting placed in TI”, notes Prof. Sarje who is confident that he will definitely come out on top if he stays humble, enthusiastic and inquisitive. “Students like Venkata are hard to come by; a PG students’ envy & Adviser’s pride”, she adds.

Electives taken in the newly introduced product design and management program, brought him in touch with Prof. Raman Saxena. Weekend discussions over tea would translate into some independent projects. “A moment I cherish deeply is when Prof. Saxena hosted a special farewell for me at his home during my final days at IIIT-H. He invited me over and personally prepared a meal; an act of kindness and warmth that I continue to remember fondly”.

SPECk of Gold for the program
A failed internship interview with Texas Instruments in his third year was a setback for the scholar who dreamed of a career in ECE. In preparation for placements, he virtually camped at the lab, taking power naps between working on projects, lectures and making notes. 

“Personal time was energized with road trips out of the city with PhD friends. Those who saw my Instagram posts at different places didn’t see the hard work I was putting in the labs”. Endless cups of tea at canteens while chasing deadlines, solitary midnight walks on campus, listening to music and enjoying the weather, feeding the fiesty bunch of friendly dogs were his stress busters.

When he was recruited by Texas Instruments, it was a win for the program.

“We are forever grateful to the SPEC channel for giving us an umbrella to study in a top tier college with international standards”, says Prasanth who extends his gratitude to CGI/Alumni financial assistance, to the supportive faculty, friends across batches, and lab assistant Poornavati for encouraging him and inspiring others with his story.

Learning the ropes at TI
Prasanth joined Texas Instruments in July 2023 as an analog and RF validation and characterization engineer.  In 2024, he was tasked with setting up the infrastructure and work space in India to test Bluetooth devices. Working with multiple teams in Dallas and a few weeks at Norway earned him new experiences, positive feedback and a job offer in Norway, that he had to decline since his Bangalore-based team needed him there.  

 “Today I feel grateful for my life”, says the biker whose world expands while exploring new destinations and meeting new people. A recent 14-day solo biking holiday to the five jyotirlingas and historical places along the way, gave him renewed sense of purpose. “My decision to join IIIT Hyderabad has made me what I am today.  Repeating the year was another defining moment”. Indeed, you grow through what you go through.