Sirish Pande
Compiler Engineer at AMD Austin, Texas, United States
Sirish Pande has lived in North America for more than two decades, building a career as a compiler engineer and now working on AI compilers at AMD in Austin, Texas. He says that this work has been his way of earning bread and butter, or his beloved Nepali meal, daal bhaat. Yet, behind the hard-achieved career lies a story familiar to many immigrants, leaving Nepal in search of a better life, pursuing education, and building a home in a new country.
During his graduate studies at the University of Toronto, Sirish’s world expanded beyond engineering. He came across very interesting friends and professors, who were teaching classes on post-modernism, human geography, gender and micro finance in South Asia, where he began to reflect more deeply on the social and economic issues in the region he once called home. That curiosity stayed with him, even though he had settled down in foreign land.
When he first heard about Mission Aasha, it struck a personal chord. The campaign’s focus on tackling youth unemployment and mass emigration reminded him of his own journey, leaving Nepal for opportunities elsewhere, much like thousands of young people still do today. For Sirish, Mission Aasha is a chance to rewrite that narrative by creating opportunities within Nepal itself.
He strongly believes the diaspora has a critical role to play, sharing technological, educational, and social knowledge, contributing financial resources, and offering the emotional support that comes from lived experience. After learning more about Daayitwa’s work and speaking with Dr. Pukar, Sirish became convinced of the urgency of this mission. As he reflects: “If we, the diaspora, will not heed the call, then who will?”