Dr. Aditi Paul, New York, NY (2026)

02/26/2024

Surround yourself with folks who are where you want to be -
If that is the secret sauce to success, then I'm glad I got a little taste of it this week when I met Sunny Shuoyang Zhang, PhD!

Sunny snuck into my DM's last November with this message -
"Love what you are doing Aditi. Look forward to supporting you."

I sprinted to her profile to see who this person was. And what I found floored me!

Sunny was a fellow PhD, a fellow professor, and a fellow immigrant.

And not that this was important, but she was married to a fellow Indian 😄

These similarities were enough for me to want to get to know her better. But what really drew me to her was her role as the Founder of Born Global Ventures - An org backing resilient immigrant founders.

As a part of this venture, Sunny is building out the Born Global Community - a place to unite folks with diverse backgrounds to support innovation at a local, national, and international level.

What a bodacious goal!

I am amazed by your passion to elevate immigrants, not only in the US, but globally. This is something I aspire to learn as I find my own unique way to serve and build the immigrant community.

Thank you for leading the way.

I look up to you.

02/24/2024

The greatest gift my mom gave me?
More than DO's, she taught me DONT's that changed my life. Here's 3 of them.

✅ Don't respect people based on their status.

My mom taught me that degrees, titles, and net worth shouldn't determine the respect you give to a person. Speak with a student with as much respect as you would with a CEO.

✅ Don't settle; Fight for what you deserve.

Despite her own struggles with education and language barriers, she made sure her daughters got the best opportunities.

It's her relentless fighting spirit that inspired me to push myself to earn a PhD, a promotion, and even permanent residency.

✅ Don't blindly conform to societal expectations.

One vivid memory that stands out, where my mom defied social norms, was during last year's Durga Puja.

During the ritual of "Shidoor Khela," traditionally reserved for married women, she defiantly sprinkled vermilion on my forehead, even though I am not married.

Through this small act of defiance, she showed me that to challenge norms you don't always need a grand gesture.

Sometimes, all it takes is "Ek chutki sindoor" :)

I am because you are Ma.
---------------------
What are you grateful for about your mother?

02/24/2024

There's a lot in common between research & puzzles.
Things are messy at first but when it all comes together?
That joy is unparalleled!

A pro tip for solving puzzles is getting the 4 corners right.
It's the same way in research.

Get 4 core elements of the research right and you're gold!

I've mentioned 3 of the 4 elements. What do you think is the 4th?
Drop "the missing piece" (see what I did there?) in the comments.

02/23/2024

The character arc of us immigrants do be more stark than the character arc of Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.

We're out here transforming from Reek to the Ironborn.

Speaking of,
Who's your second favorite character in GOT?

---------------------
PS: Please do not remind me what a dumpster fire Season 8 was. I'm trying to forget 🌚

02/20/2024

Research is not just a skillset, it is a mindset.
Use it to solve any problem in life.
I used it to solve my immigration problem.
Here's how -

There are 5 parts to a good research study.

𝟭. 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

First, identify the problem. Why it is important?
What impact will solving the problem have on your life?

For me, the problem was qualifying for EB1 to get a green card.
The impact was buying back 50+ years of my life that I would have otherwise lost waiting in EB2.

𝟮. 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪

Second, find out how others have solved this problem.
What did they do? What did they find? What were their roadblocks?

I sought the counsel of multiple attorneys and learned from the experience of friends and friends of friends who received their green cards through EB1.

𝟯. 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗗

Third, draft a plan to solve the problem based on the knowledge you have gathered thus far. Make it error-proof.

I drafted a 1-year plan and started chipping at it every day.

𝟰. 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦

Fourth, what results did your research produce? Did it match your expectations?

I got my EB1 green card. But, it took me 3 years, not 1.

𝟱. 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡

And finally, you analyze your results. Why happened? What can you learn from it?

This is what I do now for my community.
I share what worked for me and what didn't.
Why it took me 3 years instead of 1 to get the desired results.
How can my experience help you draft a better immigration plan?

Like I said, research is not just a skillset. Research is LIFE.
IYKYK 😃
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Are you on your EB1 green card journey? I'd love to help out!
Drop a DM and let's get started!

02/13/2024

"Do I go for EB1-A or EB1-B for my green card?"
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝟑 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞.

❓ Do you satisfy the prerequisites for EB1-A or EB1-B?
❓ Do you satisfy at least 3/10 EB1A or 2/6 criteria of EB1B?
❓ Is your employer willing to petition for you?

Based on these questions + consultation with 2 lawyers,
I decided to go for EB1-B .

Which one is the right choice for you?
---------------
PS: If you have received your green card through EB1A or EB1B
What advice would you give to EB1 aspirants?
Share in the comments!

02/03/2024

Couldn't have ended Women's History Month with a better story than this.

When I travel to India, one thing that's always on my agenda? Street food.
During my street food quest in Kochi, Kerala I stumbled upon this person who left me in absolute AWE.

You see, street food vendors in India are men who only accept cash payments.
But here she was -

A woman, bearing a child, and accepting digital payments.

I mean, how badass is that?!

This reminded me -
Female empowerment is not just about women holding high positions in male-dominated industries. It's about women taking up space in every industry and challenging gender norms.

Feminism does not just live in C-suites.

Feminism lives on the streets as well.

02/01/2024

Diversity and Inclusion?
More like Adversity and Exclusion.

Anyone been ghosted or rejected by a recruiter because of sponsorship issues?

Put a 🤡 emoji in the comments.

--------------
PS: Thanks to Aiyyoo Shraddha for the meme caption inspo.

01/30/2024

As an Indian professor, it was weird to see
My American students not stressing about exams.......Until I realized this -

As a student in India, 100% of my grade
depended on 1 BIG TEST

From CBSE Class 10/12 to Final Exam for MS.

This was not the case in the US.

Performance was evaluated
✏️ 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 - 1 BIG TEST and
✏️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 - SERIES OF SMALL TESTS

Common formative assignments include:

1. Weekly Quizzes
2. Weekly Discussion Boards
3. Classroom Participation

Common summative assignments include:

1. Midterm Exam
2. Final Exam
3. Final Paper

If 50% of your grade vs. 100% of your grade
depended on 1 BIG TEST

You'd freak out a little less too, no?

Thought so.

-----------------------------

What would you add to the list of
Class Performance in USA vs. India?

Share in the comments!

01/29/2024

Imagine you want a burger from Mcdonald's.
You place your order. The cashier gives you the order receipt. You take that receipt and get in line.

This is when you realize 700,000 people are waiting before you.
In fact, people who placed their orders in 2011 are finally getting their burgers.

You have 3 options now:

🔵 Stay in line until it's your turn.
🔵 See if there's a faster way to get your order.
🔵 Look for someplace else to get your burger fix.
----------------------
These were my options as an Indian working in the US. Only, in my case
The burger = green card, and the line = EB2 backlog.
----------------------
I was too hungry to wait for that long. So I qualified for EB1 to fast-track the process. I chose option 2.

Which option will you choose?

Source: https://lnkd.in/eFwq4SN8

01/25/2024

How many times are you willing to prove your worth to immigration?

Dr. Gopalakrishnan did it over and over and over again.

First, Gopal had to prove his extraordinary ability in the sciences to get temporary work authorization through O1 visa.

Next, Gopal had to prove he's working in the national interest of the United States to get his green card approval through EB2 NIW.

Last, Gopal had to prove he's in the top 1% of his field to upgrade his green card petition from EB2 NIW to EB1.

Despite his track record of excellence, USCIS rejected his EB1.

Gopal took the rejection in stride, went back to the drawing board, strengthened his profile, and applied again.

This time his EB1 petition was approved.

Gopal's journey reminds me of that Rocky Balboa quote -

“It Ain’t About How Hard You Hit.

It’s About How Hard You Can Get Hit And Keep Moving Forward.”

01/16/2024

As an Indian immigrant in the US
1 webpage you'll have on BOOKMARK -

The monthly 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍.

October's Visa Bulletin was upsetting.
Reason? The green card dates regressed by 2 years.

Now is the time, more than ever,
to consider the EB1 process.

Let's be honest, what other option do we have?

As much as I knew EB1 was the way to go
I struggled for years to get started.

EB1 is a painfully overwhelming process.

Here are 3 small, tiny, baby steps I took
to get started on the EB1 process.

I hope this helps you too!

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟭: 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐆𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃

I scoured the Internet for every morsel of information on EB1.

Links I found helpful:

Pritesh Jagani, A-CSM: https://lnkd.in/gWDxB2es
Dr. Nancy Li: https://lnkd.in/gWwEG5sN
Chavez and Valko: https://lnkd.in/gwqvz5GQ

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟮: 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐆𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊

I asked alllllll my friends if they got their EB1 green card.
I even asked my friends if they knew anyone who did.
I booked calls with each one and learned from their experience.

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟯: 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐊𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐋

After making my profile "strong enough," I spoke with attorneys.
Through those conversations, I identified my weak spots.
I made a strategic plan to strengthen all those weak spots.

----------------------------------------------------------

If you're also starting off on your EB1 journey,
Shoot me a DM. I'm happy to help!

If you'd like to connect with mentors and be a part of a 600+ strong community of EB1 aspirants, come join us here:
https://lnkd.in/gG3bA_jp

Dr. Aditi Paul

02/26/2024

02/24/2024

02/24/2024

02/23/2024

02/20/2024

02/13/2024

02/03/2024

02/01/2024

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