"This wasn't a success story. It started as survival." Intro Hey, I'm Supreeth C , a third-year engineering student, open source developer, and professional overthinker from Bengaluru. This is my first blog, and fair warning: it's long. Not "LinkedIn post with 5 bullet points" long. Actually long. This is the story of how I got selected for Google Summer of Code 2026 with CircuitVerse but more honestly, it's the story of how I almost didn't submit a proposal, almost quit twice, and spent a lot amount of time reading codebases on the Bengaluru Metro while missing my stop. Connect with me on GitHub and LinkedIn PS: I'm writing this at 4.05am, because sleep is a myth XD. Act I: The Prequel Second semester. Fresh-faced. Absolutely clueless. I joined Pointblank , the one genuinely breathable space in my Tier-3 college. I can say its the best student-run club overall and the main reason being : everyone around me was terrifyingly good .…