"Excellence Is Incomplete Without Inclusivity": National Woxsen Olympiad 2026 Shrika Rana on AI, Ambition, and the Power of Mindset

"AI Should Compress Time, Not Learning," says Shrika

HYDERABAD, India , Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 29, 2026, when Shrika Rana was announced as the champion of the National Woxsen Olympiad 2026 – Red Hat Brainiac Champion hosted by Woxsen University, it was a moment she had never experienced before.

"This victory was deeply personal," says the second year B. Tech Computer Science and Engineering student at Woxsen University, Hyderabad. "I have never been a winner before. I was always above average, but never the best."

For years, winning was a goal. Then, quietly, it became a dream. After Class 12, she had begun to believe she was "good, but not that good." So, standing there in her second year, hearing her name announced, felt less like a moment of triumph and more like acknowledgement. "It felt like the universe was saying, we see you. You have been putting in the work."

Shrika credits her success not to last-minute preparation, but to something a tad bit less visible. Mindset.

She calls herself strategically optimistic. Negative self-talk is not something she entertains, even casually. "I never allow myself to say something is over for me. I do not joke about it. I do not give it airtime." That belief shaped major decisions in her life, including leaving West Bengal during a period of uncertainty and convincing her skeptical parents to let her join Woxsen University, because it was far away from home.

The same clarity of thought defined her performance in the Group Discussion round. The topic was Inclusivity vs. Excellence. She began by grounding the debate in definitions, arguing that excellence cannot meaningfully exist without inclusivity. If your benchmark excludes entire groups, she reasoned; you are only measuring a subset.

When another participant challenged her, claiming that inclusivity sometimes compromises merit, she leaned into the exchange. Dismissing someone's competence and attributing their success solely to inclusive policies, she argued, is no different from claiming immigrants are "taking jobs" rather than performing better. "I thrive when someone challenges my point," she says. "That is when I am at my best."

Shrika, who is specialising in AI & Machine Learning, brings the same honesty to discussions around technology. She openly acknowledges her reservations. Before AI became powerful, understanding a research paper required reading it carefully and thinking through every section. That effort created depth. "Knowledge accumulated through effort sticks differently," she reflects.

Yet she is equally clear about AI's potential. "AI should compress time, not learning." The real difference, she says, is not whether students use AI, but how they use it. Clear prompts, structured thinking and real intellectual effort separate serious learners from shortcut seekers. From self-doubt to certainty, Shrika's Olympiad win is more than a title. It is about belief, consistency and refusing to accept impossible as the final answer.

About Woxsen University, Hyderabad

Woxsen University, located in Hyderabad, is one of the first private universities in the state of Telangana, India. Renowned for its 200-acre state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, Woxsen University offers new-age, disruptive programs in the fields of Business, Technology, Arts & Design, Architecture, Law, and Liberal Arts & Humanities. Woxsen also houses Asia's largest Sports Infrastructure, spread over 60 acres. With 175+ Global Partner Universities and a strong industry connect, Woxsen is recognized as one of the top universities for Academic Excellence and Global Edge. Woxsen has also secured the QS Business Masters World Ranking 2025, Rank #9 All India, Top 100 B-Schools by Times B-School Ranking 2025, Rank #6, Asia Pacific, Bloomberg Best B-School, and features in India's Best B-Schools beyond IIMs by Dalal Street Investment Journal 2025, in 4th consecutive year. Woxsen is ranked as one of the Top Professional Colleges in India by Outlook I-CARE for its undergraduate programs, securing All India Rank 12 among the Top 130 BBA Private Institutes, All India Rank 20 among the Top 160 B.Tech Private Institutes, All India Rank 3 among the Top 25 Design Private Institutes, and All India Rank 3 among the Top 30 B. Arch Private Institutes.

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Contact: Ahana Bose, [email protected]