For Aishwarya Mishra (Jaipuria, Lucknow Class of 2015-17), the first year has seen her gain immensely in confidence and knowledge and get ready to pursue her dreams.

“The choices we make, make us what we are,” says Aishwarya Mishra as she talks about her PGDM journey with Jaipuria, Lucknow. Mishra says she chose to study at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow because she wanted to be someone who stood out in a crowd and also because she felt that “this is a prestigious Business School” that could help her achieve her goal.

“I started my first semester on 23rd June 2015 amidst lots of excitement, new friends, competition and a multitude of experiences. I certainly noticed a change in the kind of pressure and responsibility that I had experienced during my graduation. Here at Jaipuria, Lucknow the emphasis on academics is remarkable,” she says as she talks about long lecture hours and endless presentations. However, “All this became routine and I got accustomed to the pace. Soon I settled comfortably into the routine.”

Life at Jaipuria, Lucknow however, does not just mean study and more study. “The Institute left no stone unturned for us. There were many extracurricular activities I participated in. For instance there was a pageant organised by the Miss India Association called Campus Princess, which was held in IIM Lucknow and I got an opportunity to represent my Institute there. I also participated in a colloquium held at Jaipuria, Lucknow on the subject of Budget 2016,” explains Mishra 

Talking about her learning experience, the young lady emphasises that without the brilliant faculty students would be at a loss about how to bring out the best in themselves. “The faculty devotes their time and energy to us to the fullest extent. They are never reluctant to solve our queries,” she says. She points out that her academic journey has been a blend of everything. “Academics has helped me sharpen and enhance my knowledge and sense of individuality. It has helped me to become a more confident, bold and professional person. Due to the daily presentations and tests including communication classes I have imbibed good leadership as well as linguistic skills. Apart from academics Jaipuria, Lucknow has opened up an ocean of opportunities in the corporate world for me,” she says.

Mishra’s favourite faculty member is “Professor Masood Siddiqui. He always motivates me and identifies the potential in his student just as a skilled jeweller who cuts and engraves gem stones and makes a beautiful adornment,” she waxes eloquently adding, “Someday I will bring laurels to my college.” Faculty member Prof. Siddiqui concurs that Mishra has indeed come a long way. “She has already made an impression and with time and experience she will prove to be an asset in every environment.”

This Scorpio lady says that her greatest source of inspiration is her family. “They are my life support system.” And of course her friends “who are always by my side and my biggest supporters after my teachers. They take care of every need of mine especially my best friends Anubhav, Gaurav and Ashraf.” Her friends echo her sentiments: “She has a charming and winsome manner and we wish her well.”

Mishra, whose hobbies are reading – “especially fashion and financial magazines — listening to music and exploring places,” is doing her summer internship at ICICI Securities, Lucknow. “My SIP is all about mutual fund awareness. Its objective is to create an awareness in people about their investments through the online portal of ICICI Direct, which makes an investment easy and convenient without any broker in between,’’ she explains.  

With Finance and Marketing as her subjects where would she like to see herself eventually? “My dream is to grab a job in the top financial consultancies such as the Big 4 and to earn enough so that I can do something for mentally challenged children,” she confesses. And she will be able to do this and more with her areas of strength being her “domain knowledge, confidence and communication skills.”