Got Wings, Will Fly

I am delighted to share my journey of the past three semesters as a student of MBA Aviation at the UPES campus, ensconced in verdant green surroundings.

My journey started in June 2018 with a two-week-long program called ‘Mcube’. It provided opportunities to students to participate in various non-academic activities and network across departments. This acted as an ice-breaker and I was chosen as house representative with the responsibility to manage participations for all the activities. For my efforts, I was awarded by the ‘Student of The Year’ trophy and my house, i.e., White House, was declared the ‘Best House’.

Then, there was another useful two-week program called Dale Carnegie Personality Enhancement Program. It helped me understand the verbal and non-verbal actions that are expected from an MBA graduate.

Then we started with the academic session. We students were introduced to the concept of blackboard, which is an IT way of circulating news bulletin and assignments amongst students. During this 1^st semester, I was chosen as class representative and was also given an opportunity to work with Ernst and Young, as a researcher. I completed a two-month-long internship during which I shared my insights on the potential sectors for financial investments in Uttarakhand, and also volunteered for ‘Uttarakhand Investment Summit 2018’, wherein Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest. Owing to my organisational skills, I was also given the responsibility to host Teacher’s Day celebrations, by my seniors.

The semester ended with  exams, where I secured 8.70 SGPA and bagged the 1^st position in the Department of Aviation. In the 2^nd semester, we were informed about our industry visit to Mumbai International Airport, i.e., MIAL. We prepared ourselves with prospective expansion plans and IT-driven solutions for the MIAL airport. It was a three-day-long visit which helped us visit some of the crucial departments like AOCC, which otherwise, do not allow passengers to enter.

Then came the time for internship. I was selected, on merit, to work with Airports Authority of India, New Delhi, as an intern. The internship had to start in the month of June-July. My classmates were also given a challenging job of working at Hyderabad Airport, i.e., HIAL for a 12-hour shift. Yes, it was tough, but we all sailed through.

This was followed by end semester exams started and this time I got 8.66 SGPA and bagged the 2^nd position in the department.

My next internship was with Corporate Planning and Management Services Department at AAI. The internship ended with a project which was so much praised by the faculty that it has now become a pipeline project for publication in renowned journals.

The 3^rd semester started in August and we were nervous for the internship project final presentation in front of a learned panel. But we could all present our projects before the panel confidently. My project was appreciated by the panel and it was also selected for a project competition in IIM Kerala.

Then came the UPES Supply Chain Summit, where I was given the responsibility to host the event. The panellists included professors from IIT Delhi, among others.

Before we knew it, it was time for placements, probably the most crucial time in the life of a student. I was offered a job with Infosys Consultancy. Some of my classmates got selected by Adani Airports in Jaipur and Lucknow, and some were snapped up by Bengaluru Airport, i.e., BIAL.

I cleared my 3^rd semester exams with a good score of 8.78 SGPA. Now, I am in the 4^th semester of MBA. This beautiful journey is about to end in five months after which I will be joining Infosys Consultancy from June 1, 2020.

My journey so far has been beautiful. I have been focussed on enhancing existing skills and developing new ones. I would like to thank UPES for providing me the opportunity to prepare myself for the corporate world.

(The writer is a student of MBA Aviation at the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies)

Also read: A prodigious journey