‘My teachers encouraged me to take on responsibilities that built my skills’

For Mayank Kulkarni, an alumnus of Apeejay School, Kharghar, the turning point in his academic journey didn’t come from a textbook. It came from an unexpected nomination as school prefect. That single moment of confidence would go on to transform not just his grades, but his entire career trajectory. 

Today, Mayank works as a Machine Learning Engineer at Neysa, a company he joined as one of its first 15 employees and has since watched grow into a unicorn with over $1 billion in funding. We spoke with him about the school years that made that journey possible.

How was your overall experience at Apeejay School, Kharghar?

It was good overall. I wasn’t particularly a smart kid until around Class 9. But then I met some good teachers who pushed me toward making better decisions and getting more involved in school and studies. With their help, I gradually became more engaged, and that’s when things really started to turn around for me academically.

What extracurricular activities were you involved in?

I wasn’t particularly popular or academically strong early on. But there’s a system at the school for prefects and school captains. One of my teachers actually pushed me to take on the prefect role. I was a very quiet, shy kid at the time. My teacher nominated me because they believed in me, and then one of the other students fell ill. This is how I secured the position after the speeches. 

But once I had that role, I had to speak to people regularly and handle all the responsibilities that come with being a prefect. That genuinely was where my confidence started building.

How did that experience shape your personality?

It made a huge difference. I was very shy before that. But I discovered something important about myself: I truly excel when I have confidence. Once I found that confidence through the prefect role, it carried over into every part of my life, especially academics. 

My maths teacher helped me and I ended up topping the school in maths in Class 10 and in chemistry in Class 12. To put that in perspective in Class 9, I was scoring around 43 out of 90 in maths. By Class 10, I scored 99 out of 100. From that point on, I became a completely different student academically, and that confidence really was the pivotal turning point in my life.

What’s your favourite memory from school?

Apart from the games periods, it would honestly be this whole journey. I thought studies were not meant for me but after Class 9 things changed for me. That shift, which completely changed how I saw myself, is still the best part of my school memories.

Were the teachers approachable and supportive in making learning enjoyable?

Yes. Once I started doing well academically from Class 10 onward, I met some wonderful teachers in 11th and 12th. Before that, honestly, barely anyone even knew me by name—but by 11th grade, that had completely changed. Teachers encouraged me to take on roles like prefect, participate in competitions, and they were genuinely attentive. If I was scoring lower than usual or seemed a little stressed, they noticed. My class teacher in 11th and 12th was especially approachable. They would regularly check in and just make it a point to talk to me, which meant a lot at the time.

Where are you currently working, and what’s your role?

I’m currently working as a Machine Learning Engineer at Neysa. I joined when the company had just 15 employees—it was still a startup back then. Today, we’re at around 145 employees, and Neysa has become a unicorn, having raised over $1 billion in funding. 

That same academic momentum I built in school carried through college too. I graduated with a 9.83 CGPA out of 10, placing among the top 5 students in my batch, with a dual degree that included Honours in Artificial Intelligence. Everything I learned there, I’ve been able to directly apply in my current role.