ABS ALUMNI OF THE MONTH

1. During your student life, you were involved with the Mudra Foundation and also explored opportunities as a digital marketing How did these experiences contribute to your confidence and professional development?
   
   so Mudra Foundation was a NGO and uh I I was a volunteer in Mudra Foundation. I had the opportunity to work closely with people from diverse background especially artist rural articians and uh communities connected with social causes. The experiences really taught me the importance of empathy, teamwork, communication and leadership beyond the classroom environment. It also helped me understand how creativity, culture and collaboration can create a meaningful impact in the society. Interacting with uh different stakeholders, contributing to various initiatives gradually build my confidence in handling responsibilities and working with people effectively. At the same time, my exposure to digital marketing introduced me to a more professional and corporate way of thinking. I can say that it uh gave me practical insights into branding, consumer uh engagement, communities, communication strategies and the importance of adaptability in a fast changing business environment. uh learning how ideas are translated into campaigns uh and results gave me early understanding of professionalism, accountability and problem solving. Looking back the experiences uh complemented my PGDM journey I can say that perfectly. One taught me the value of purpose and people while the other helped me develop the industry oriented skills and business acumen. together they prepared uh me for the corporate world and eventually helped me grow into uh the current role that I'm in as a project manager in a market research industry.
   
   
2. Looking back now, what were some habits or activities during college that unknowingly prepared you for leadership and project management roles later in your career?
   
   Now that I look back to my college days, I now realized that many of the habits and activities I was involved in during my college days unknowingly became the foundation later in my career. Uh one of the biggest learning came from actively participating in group assignments, events and uh extracurricular activities. At that time it simply felt like a teamwork and collaboration but in reality it was teaching me how to coordinate with people from different perspectives, manage timelines, delegate responsibilities and work towards a common goal. All of which are a very core aspect of project management today. Uh then my involvement uh with Mudra Foundation also played a significant role in shaping my leadership mindset. Volunteering for social and uh cultural initiatives taught me accountability, adaptability and most important of leading with empathy. Managing activities uh interacting with diverse group of people and handling responsibility in a dynamic uh situation helped me become more confidence in decision- making and uh communication. Another important habit uh was my curious and open to learning beyond textbook attitude. I can say that whether it was taking up internships, particip participating in discussions, uh networking with peers and faculty or uh simply observing how team functions. These uh these exper experiences gradually improved my problem solving skills and analytical thinking abilities in project management. The ability to listen, analyze make balanced decision in extremely it's totally extremely valuable. I also learned the importance of consistency and discipline during college. I know I know most of the people they don't care about discipline but and I was a very notorious child. Let me remind you again. But yeah, during during this two years of college, I learned how to get disciplined, you know, meeting deadlines, balancing academics with extracurricular activities and managing multiple priorities at once. At that time uh they seems like routine you know routine student responsibilities but later they become essential skills for handling high pressure corporate environments an managing complex projects over the years.
   
   
3. You began your professional journey exploring digital marketing and eventually built a strong career in marketing research and project management with organizations like Torfac and Borderless Access. How did your career interests evolve over time?
   
   So ma'am during the final year of my PGM journey I was very clear that I wanted to build my career into co-marketing uh co-marketing domain maybe because I've got quite good suggestions from my uh faculty members. Uh like many students, I initially explored different areas of marketing uh including digital marketing, sales because I wanted to understand where my strength and interests truly aligned. Uh those early experiences uh early experiences helped me develop a broader expect uh perspective of consumer behavior, communications and market dynamics. Uh I was uh fortunate to begin my professional journey with TORFAC as a research associate. uh when I spent uh close to three years learning the fundamentals of uh market research, that phase of my career gave me a strong exposure to client management, research methodologies, uh project execution and the importance of delivering quality insights with within that timeline. More importantly, it helped me discover my interest uh in managing projects and working closely with global clients and teams. uh as I gained experience I realized that I enjoyed not just the analytical side of uh research but also the coordination problem solving uh communication the leadership aspect involved in managing projects and like end to end. Uh this naturally uh motivated me to grow further in the field of project management. Uh in 2019 my next step was uh joining borderless accesses which is in Bangalore location uh where I have now spent more than six years as a project manager. Now over time my role evolved from execution focused responsibilities to handle larger larger projects managing stakeholder expectations mentoring teams and ensuring smooth project uh delivery in a fast-paced environment. The journey has been extremely enriching because every project brings new learning or new learning opportunities, challenges and exposure to different markets and industries. Uh looking back, I believe career interests evolve through exposure, experience and continue learning. Sometimes students feel pressure to have everything figured out from the beginning, but in reality careers often grow step by step. What is important is to stay curious, remain open to learning and give your best to every opportunity that comes your way.
   
   
4. The corporate world today values adaptability and multitasking. How can management students prepare themselves to handle pressure, deadlines, and changing expectations professionally?
   
   In uh today's corporate environment uh adaptability and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities have become extremely important in professional skills. The import the workplace is fast-paced, expectations evolve quickly and professionals are often required to balance priorities, collaborate across teams and deliver results within strict timelines. In such an environment, management students can prepare themselves by developing right mindset, habits and practical exposure during their college years it serves. One of the most important things to uh students should uh focus on learning how to manage time effectively. Balancing academics, internships, projects, extracurricular activities and personal commitments during college itself helps build the discipline required to know handle pressure in professional life later on. Students should also actively participating in all these college programs like uh events, internships and group activities, volunteering initiatives and and uh like event management opportunities. Such experiences expose them to real world situations where teamwork, communication, coordination and problem solving become essentials. These practical experiences often uh teach lessons and that cannot be always be learned through textbooks. Another another important aspect is uh developing adaptability and a learning mindset. In a cooperative world, process, technologies and client expectations keep changing. Professionals who remain open to learning and willingness to upgrade themselves are better prepared, you know, to handle uncertaintity and challenges confidently. I personally believe uh continuous learnings plays a major role in long-term you know professional growth which is why even after 10 years of experience I'm still pursuing a project management certification from IM in the in order to further strengthen my knowledge and leadership skills. Students uh should also work on uh emotional resilience and professionalism. I believe like pressure and deadlines are a natural part of any career and but the ability to stay calm, communicate effectively and focus on solutions rather than problems making a significance difference. Learning to prioritize task, ask for support when needed and maintain a positive attitude during difficult situations are qualities that helps a professionals grow steadily in their careers.You you have already answered my question as to you know how can students
   
   
5. What advice would you give to students who are still unsure about their career path or feel anxious about placements and future opportunities?
   
   one thing I would genuinely like to tell students is that you know it is completely normal to feel uncertain about your career path during college days. Almost every student experiences same level of anxiety about placements, career choices and future opportunities as some stages. In fact, many successful professionals today did not have every aspect of the career planned from the beginning. careers often you know evolve gradually through learning experiences and exposure over time. When I was a college student, I mean I can still you know calculate myself as a student but still during my college days I I also explored different interest you know before eventually building my career in the market research industry. What helped me the most was uh staying open to opportunities, continuous learning and giving my best to every role and responsibility I uh received. Sometimes your first uh opportunity may not be your first uh destination but it can become an important stepping stones that shapes uh your future growth. My advice should be focus less on comparing themselves with others and more on developing their own skills, confidence and professional mindset. Every individuals have a different journey, timeline and strength instead of worrying excessively about uncertaintity. If they should concentrate on improving their communication skills, practical knowledge, adaptability, teamwork and professionalism than qualities that qualities that remain valuable in every industry. It is also important to actively seek exposure through internships, projects and volunteering activities, networking and in uh industry interactions. These experiences helps uh them to discover their interests and strength more clearly while also building confidence for the professional world. Another thing I strongly believe is that learning should never stop. The corporate world is uh constantly evolving and professionals who continue to upgrade themselves remain better prepared for the future opportunities. No, even after spending more than a decade in this industry, I continue to invest in learning. Most importantly, they should remember that placement are only the beginning of their career path, not the final destination of success. Long-term success depends more on consistency, attitude, and willingness to learn. And my last message would be to them, you know, to stay patient, stay confident in their abilities and trust the process. Opportunities may not always exactly as expected, you know, but in with dedication, continuous learnings and the right attitude, every experience eventually contributes a personal and professional growth.
   
   
6. If you had an opportunity to address the current batch in one sentence, what message or life lesson would you most like to share with them?
   
   M so ma'am I've come across a beautiful quote that said if you're the smartest if you're the smartest person in the room then you are in the wrong room you know true growth begins when the uh true growth begin when you surround yourself with people experiences ideas that challenge you to learn continuously this uh message really reflects the importance of humility continuous learning and being open to different perspective. During student life and even throughout professional careers, some of the best learning comes not just from speaking but from actively listening.  Observe and you know learning from others experiences. In today's fast changing world, the willingness to learn continuously often becomes one of the biggest strength for long-term success. So please keep listening you know and start learning this is what I can say.
   
   
7. could you recall just one incident uh where uh you know you were mischievous and probably you were caught also very briefly if you could share that with us.?
   
   I'm not sure if those incidents can be you know public is breaking off you know like there are so much of notious things I have done in my colleges because for for for the first time I have get out of my comfort zone I was outside my states I've been learning new things from you know different people from different perspective different backgrounds different states uh whenever I think about my college days like few things still give me an immense joy of how I was looking into my life at that point of time and how it changed right now and there are there are so many things that I still feel embarrassed about how I pulled such tongs so yeah so not not any incidents in particular but uh I think I have developed few bad habits during my college days which I still embarrassed like why I've done that and uh I remember our uh I think the director sir like I'm not sure his name I think Shivastava sir caught me smoking one time and uh he asked me to write a 15 page why I shouldn't smoke after that I like after after writing you know at the time of I I'm write I was writing that 15 pages why I shouldn't smoke it changed my perspective and uh I stopped after that.

 Rapid Fire 

1. Proxy attendance or last-minute assignment submissions — which was more common?-  Last minute assignments.
2. One friend who still knows all your college secrets?- There are more than one.
3. If your college life had a movie title, what would it be?- three dates
4. One corporate buzzword you secretly find - when people say I understand.
5. Late-night brainstorming or last-minute panic — your working style?- Late night brainstorming.
6. If given a chance, would you choose student life again or corporate life?- Student life