I was raised on the banks of the Mississippi River by my father, an Indian immigrant, and mother who hails from a small Illinois farming town.
I love to compete, and the basketball court and classroom were my arenas. I could not stand coming in second place, which has resulted in a robust—and often overdone—work ethic.
I aimed to spend the summer before my sophomore year of high school increasing my basketball skill and strength so I could make the varsity team. However, for unknown reasons, I had a spinal stroke resulting in quadriplegia (i.e. paralysis in all four limbs).
The loss of basketball was overwhelming emotionally. However, I pivoted my work ethic from basketball to physical therapy to possibly regain function.
Believing in the “everything happens for a reason” narrative, I decided I would become a neurologist who specialized in spinal cord injury research and rehabilitation. I set my sights on attending the best school for neuroscience and ended up attending Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
I quickly realized, though, that I did not enjoy studying neuroscience, conducting neuroscience research, or interacting with patients. I was lost and did not know what to do with my life.
In late 2020, I found bitcoin. Bitcoin intrigued me, and I went down the rabbit hole. I dabbled with the broader crypto universe, not yet realizing the difference. Bull markets are incredibly noisy for newcomers.
I finished my neuroscience degree in 2021 but decided not to enter the medical field due to a lack of interest. I applied for an operations role at Morgan Stanley in Baltimore, as I desperately needed a job and knew I wanted to explore a career in finance. One of my interviewers talked at length about Bitcoin (fairly competently looking back), and that was enough for me to give the role a shot.
The role was supporting the financial hedging component of commodities trading. Essentially, commodities traders use financial instruments to hedge bilateral or OTC deals to lock in PnL or mitigate price risk. I ensured these financial trades flowed correctly through our systems.
After two years, my girlfriend of several years and I moved to New York City because of a mobility offer. I now handle settlements for our power and gas deals. I am receiving incredible insight into how these deals are structured. I love it.
My girlfriend was key to my mental and emotional recovery from my spinal cord injury. She helped me love myself again and not settle for becoming a neurologist simply because I had a neurological injury. Without her, I’d be miserable in medical school and probably a fiat maximalist having never had the desire to explore Bitcoin.
I will explore more of these items in the future, but I feel like this is a sufficient introduction.
It’s nice to meet you.🤝
