This is me when we first got to know that I was pregnant. I knew this Baby who was growing rapidly inside me would be nothing less than my HERO and my inspiration! I vividly remember coming back from the doctor and telling Anand that the morning sickness was making it very difficult for me to study. I was throwing up 10 times a day till my 5th month and studying for grueling entrance exams at the same time. But the decision to get back to academia was not an easy one. For the first 6 months after marriage I was absolutely clueless. I remember crying one day so much that Anand rushed back home from work just to be with me. He calmly reminded me of all my accomplishments and said that not knowing what to do next was absolutely ok. In fact it was better than knowing what to do because now I did not have restrict myself at all. I could choose and make an informed decision after carefully examining all options. Post that I started going to different schools and exploring the courses available to see what could be interesting to me. But after visiting close to 20 schools I was even more confused and clueless. Then my aunt suggested that I join a community college and just take up a few courses to see if I could handle life as a student again after 15 years. So I joined MassBay Community College and took 2 courses- marketing and management, and I absolutely loved it! I was definitely the most enthusiastic one in class and so so eager to learn. It was after this that I told Anand that I wanted to pursue an MBA and to do that I would have to write 2 exams namely the GRE/GMAT and the TOEFL. For those who don’t know the GRE exam( which I eventually chose over the GMAT) is a 4 hour exam with a 10 min break that tests you on ability to solve mathematical and English questions in less than 1.30 min/ per question on average. It’s requires months of practice but for me it was much more than that. I began feeling extremely under confident and would often feel like giving up. Till this day when I knew that my baby was coming and that was a turning point for me. This little peanut inside me changed everything ❤️👶
Oh this day was so special😄. This picture was taken before I started getting ready for my first college interview. I had spent months preparing for entrance exams and writing essays. The application process was also an introspection process for me. I had to narrate my story and convince the admissions department that i would be an ideal candidate for business school. But why me? What could I possibly contribute in a classroom? I pondered over this and had a few breakdowns because i think I wasn’t convinced of my own capabilities and was too scared of failing. The fear of rejection my friends is so deeply entrenched in many of us that it makes us stop before we start. I’d being lying if I said I’m over it but I’ve promised myself that I will tackle this fear one day at a time. My fear of failure comes from a deeply rooted low self esteem. Ive often believed that I’m incapable of doing something beyond my comfort zone and that is the attitude I had when I started writing my story for the college essay. I wrote several drafts and in the end dismissed them all because I honestly felt I I was not worthy of school. I had spent a major part of my life doing something so non academic that I felt the make up had entered my brains. How could I possibly ask someone to consider me when I had already written myself off? There is one more thing you should also know about me. I have the most supportive set of 4 parents. In their eyes I am the best thing that’s happened to this world and that’s exactly what they reminded me of. In the words of my dad- “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. In every challenge lies an opportunity and this mental block was my chance to delve within and pull out that girl. That girl who wants her voice to be heard to tell a story that is compelling. A story filled with twists and turns,ups and down, experiences and learnings – full paisa vasool masala entertainer😉 …. TBD P.S. kindly ignore the mess behind me 👻 we had just moved into our new place and I had yet to set it up.
My heart🥰#juniorkapai #backongram #mylittleman
Dil hi toh hai❤️ #thattimeoftheyear
#suited #mba2020 #babsoncollege Newbury Street, Boston
Dear 2018….you began feeling impossible. Writing entrance exams through my last trimester, delivering my son and then going back to school after 15 years all one after the other…I thought I’ll never be able to keep ur with your pace. You challenged me and tested me everyday and watched silently as I toiled day and night to balance motherhood with life as a student. But you taught me to believe that with consistent hard work and dedication(not luck)I can achieve just about anything I set my mind to!Thanks to you I could reacquaint with my old self. P.S. ~ It would be unfair to give you any more credit than this 😹 I would have never been able to manage your speed without the unconditional support of my team mate #MrKapai. 2019> ready or not, here I come🕺🏻#mba2020 #babsoncollege
Mrs Edna Rubin..my family away from home when I came to Boston. This picture was taken as part a promotional activity for an organization called FriendshipWorks in Boston, to encourage people to volunteer. What this Non- profit does is essentially connect volunteers to members of the senior community who agree to spend time every week. And that’s how I met this incredible mom of 4 daughters and wife to a Late US veteran. I had just given her the good news that I was pregnant and she was thrilled yet concerned about my well being. She would call everyday( still does weekly to check on Izu) to check on me and motivate me to not give up. She lives in an old age home which believe you me, is the most fun place to be. We meet every Wednesday from 2-5 and play games to help her and others like her maintain their cognitive abilities. It’s truly been one of my life’s best experiences. It’s taught me that the more you give of yourself, the more you find of yourself. I have gotten so much love and affection from her and the rest of my homies ( there are many more men and women there who I also visit). Not just her but all of them would keep checking in through out my pregnancy. They knew I had a very disciplined approach to studying and were always telling me to slow down and not stress. I had 4 months to prepare for the GRE( I wanted to write it before my third trimester) and would wake up everyday at 7am and dedicate 6-7 hours Monday through Friday just studying. And on the weekends my tutor😀 AKA Anand would give me 2 hours to clarify any doubts and difficulties ( believe me there were way too many 😂). I had to start from scratch and had decided to self study, literally going back 15 years to 10th grade -algebra, geometry, statistics, english grammar, comprehension and essay writing. As much as math tortured me, it also challenged me. I had many bad days where I would get dejected because the math was much harder than I thought( in hindsight I think that was the easy part😹 the MBA is way more challenging)and I was having the weirdest food aversions, ice cream being the worst. I would look at it and throw up (Also did once while having lunch with Ms Rubin.. hehe).
Here’s to another year🥳 #hakunamatata #happybirthdaytome #itsawonderfullife
#merijaan
Smiles before winter break😀 #mba2020
If you’ve loved Yeh Hai Mohabbatein for its characters then you’ve got to see this show too! It comes from the heart of a person whose been instrumental in my career transition and has amazed me with his unconditional support and encouragement. Sandiip you will forever be special to me. ❤️ Come fall in love with #DrRohitSippy and #SonakshiRastogi’s story on #KahaanHumKahaanTum, Starting this 17th June, Mon-Fri at 9pm only on StarPlus and HotStar. Come fall in love with #DrRohitSippy and #SonakshiRastogi’s story on #KahaanHumKahaanTum, Starting this 17th June, Mon-Fri at 9pm only on StarPlus and HotStar.
Spot the #techieinthemaking in the corner all excited about finishing 1 whole year in the MBA program. Stay tuned for a flashback series where I will share my story on how I got here😀 #mba2020 #1moreyeartogo
#proudbabsonian #mbaclassof2020 #May2020
A big shout out to my dear friend and classmate from #babsoncollege, @aedwinken for this one of a kind advertising platform! This has been your dream and to see it actually happen makes me so happy and proud. All the best @rostockmedia 😀 super super proud Alex!!
