‘Hands-on approach by Apeejay teachers made all the difference’

For Varun Sondur, an alumnus of Apeejay School, Kharghar, school was never confined to any single track. Between laboratory experiments, badminton courts, hackathons, and years spent in the music room from Nursery all the way to Grade 12, his time at school became a training ground for curiosity itself. 

This same curiosity now drives him as he pursues a Master’s in Software, Web and Cloud Computing at Tampere University, Finland, following a stint as a Software Developer in fintech back in Mumbai. We spoke with him about the teachers, competitions, and quiet lessons in self-belief that shaped his journey from schoolboy to aspiring distributed systems engineer.

What are some of your fondest memories of your time at the school?

Some of my fondest memories are from the laboratory sessions — Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science. Those early high-school years stick with me because the school wasn’t just telling us things; it was letting us actually do things. That hands-on approach made a real difference to how I learned and how I started thinking about problems.

But if I had to pick one thing that left a truly lasting mark, it would be the music culture. From Nursery right through to Grade 12, I was always connected to the music room in some way. That’s genuinely where I discovered that I loved music. It taught me rhythm, patience, and discipline. It also taught me how to work as part of a team. Everyone has a role, everyone has to listen to each other, and the result is only as good as the group working together.

I’ll always be grateful to my music sir for the role he played in nurturing that side of me. He saw something there and made sure it was given space to grow. Those are memories I still carry with me.

What did you enjoy most about being a student here?

There was always something happening beyond the classroom. Field trips, expeditions, competitions, the freedom to ask questions and explore. The school created an environment where you didn’t have to wait for permission to be curious.

Competitions stand out for me in particular. Looking back, I think they taught me far more than winning ever could have. They taught me how to handle pressure, how to lose gracefully, how to genuinely appreciate when someone else does better than you, and how to pick yourself up and keep going. Those are life skills disguised as school competitions.

The school also supported my passion for badminton, which meant a lot to me. Staying active and competitive in a sport you love is something that keeps you grounded. So school, for me, was never just about academics. It was about constantly being challenged to find out what I was actually capable of.

How would you describe the teachers who taught you, and how has their contribution played a role in your professional journey?

A large part of who I am today has been shaped by my teachers.  I’m currently pursuing a Master’s in Software, Web and Cloud, and my path into software engineering really began with the computer teachers who sparked that connection between me and technology at an early stage. I honestly don’t know if I’d be where I am today had that interest not been nurtured when it was.

But it wasn’t only the computer teachers. Teachers across different subjects constantly challenged me, pushed me out of my comfort zone. That helped me realise that I was capable of more than I sometimes gave myself credit for.

That habit of accepting challenges, asking questions, and constantly trying to improve has followed me directly into my professional life. Even now, working towards becoming a distributed systems engineer, I can trace a clear line back to those early lessons and those teachers.

Apart from academics, what important lessons did the school teach you?

The school helped me develop confidence and public-speaking skills, but it also taught me something equally important: how to motivate yourself when things don’t go to plan. 

One lesson I really hold on to is that it’s okay to have a healthy sense of self-belief. You should know your own worth and be confident in what you bring to the table. And at the same time remain humble enough to keep learning from others. And perhaps the most important lesson for me personally is that there is never a wrong time to ask for help. 

How did the school encourage you to explore your interests and talents?

It gave us the space to actually try things — music, sports, acting, technical competitions, hackathons. There was a broad range of opportunities. The school made sure we had access to them rather than just talking about them.

I won some competitions and I lost quite a few as well, and, both experiences were just as valuable. Every single competition, regardless of the outcome, pushed me to try something new, collaborate with different people, and sometimes discover an ability I didn’t even know I had.

I think that freedom to experiment was one of the most important things the school gave us. It allowed us to discover our interests rather than being told very early on what we were supposed to be good at. 

Looking back, what is that quality you developed during your school years that you are especially grateful for?

Self-belief, as school constantly tested my limits across so many different areas. And over time, that built up a real belief in myself that I could figure things out, even when I didn’t have the answer immediately. That’s not something you can teach in a classroom. It develops through experience. I also developed a strong work ethic and a genuine curiosity to understand things rather than just accept them at face value.