I am an
INFORMATION analyst
Dilip Merala
Presented by AMGEN FOUNDATION
MY PATHHow I became a PERFORMER, ADVOCATE & information analyst.
Growing up in India
EMBRACING JOY IN TOUGH CONDITIONS
01 / I grew up in a chawl in Mumbai, India. We were a group of 7 people living in a very small home with limited resources; I experienced firsthand what it was like to not have easy access to things like clean water and indoor plumbing.
02 / I attended a school with a lot of kids that were wealthier than my family. My father was a hardworking man who pushed my sister and me to do well and study. He was strict and really valued our education. I was particularly drawn to science, geography, and reading.
03 / I spent my free time playing marbles and flying kites in the streets. Bollywood dancing and music were very popular; they provided a distraction from the serious parts of life. Comedy, in particular, was a relief and a way to escape from the stress and pressure around me. It laid the groundwork for me to become a performer and find joy in bringing that same feeling to others.
Attending University
BALANCING MY INTERESTS
01 / When I was 18, my family moved into a home with better living conditions. I decided to study engineering in college; I saw it as an opportunity to pursue a strong career, and it aligned with several of my interests.
02 / College came with a lot of distractions and that ended up impacting my academics. I started taking an interest in the arts, such as theater and dancing, and began exploring other things beyond just studying and getting good grades. It was a mix of academic challenges and personal growth. While I wasn't at the top of my class anymore, I was finding fulfillment in getting to know the artistic sides of myself.
03 / By the time I graduated, I had found a way to bridge my commitment to pursuing a good career with my passion for theater, comedy, and performing. I was participating in Bollywood dance events and building a strong community of fellow creatives. I had to let go of any need to be perfect so that I could make space for the variety of things that mattered to me.
Time to Explore
MAKING SPACE FOR ADVENTURE
01 / After college, I got a job working at an IT book publishing firm. After a few years, I decided to take a break and travel to figure out what I wanted to do next. I went on a road trip across India on my motorcycle – I’ve traveled to most parts of the country since, both on my bike and backpacking. At one point, I spent a few months volunteering in North India because of damage done by floods. I went to villages where I taught kids and distributed food.
02 / At the same time, I was an aspiring actor. I started acting in Bollywood films and also performed in stage plays, with a focus on comedy. I did sketches on popular shows, like India’s version of SNL.
03 / When I went back to work, I got a job as the editor of a travel website. Diving into the analytics for the site reignited my interest in technology and data, so I began taking coding lessons on my own time. I saw that data science was gaining traction and people were doing amazing things with it.
Moving to the US
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
01 / I decided to explore my options and ended up applying for a Master's degree in Information Science at the University of Texas. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted, but when they offered me a scholarship to attend, I decided to go for it. I ended up specializing in information science and building machine-learning models to solve various data-related problems.
02 / The deeper I went into the data, the more I enjoyed finding the stories that are often hidden in the numbers. I got interested in data visualization and figuring out how to capture the meaning in the datasets to communicate with others. In a way, all of my training in creative works was finding an unexpected home in data too.
03 / When it came time to find a job after my Masters, I got a position at Amgen where I could work with data, communication, and visualization. I still make plenty of time to act and perform outside of work, and recently got married to a woman I met through performing arts in LA.
MAJOR INFLUENCES
Pursue your own version of happiness.
Life hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve often had to juggle the pressures to succeed with the pursuit of everyday joy. I've learned that my best life has a little bit of both. Working hard and finding happiness in what you do is the biggest accomplishment.
Major Milestones
Starting University
My family and I moved out of the chawl in Mumbai when I left for college. At this point, my family’s financial situation was improving. I started studying engineering at university and also found my love of the performing arts.
Traveling & Pursuit of Acting
The two years I took off from work helped me to visualize a new path for myself. I enjoyed working in the performing arts and traveling to villages throughout India.
Moving to the US
After working for many years in India, I moved to the US to pursue a Masters degree and subsequently was hired by Amgen as an Information Analyst.
Things I learned
along the way:
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