This bureaucrat makes UPES proud!

Margan Sinha, alumna of B. Tech Electronics Engineering, class of 2013, today serves as Senior Deputy Collector at Jehanabad, Bihar

Margan Sinha, class of 2009-2013, B. Tech Electronics Engineering, is currently serving as Senior Deputy Collector at Jehanabad, Bihar. Hers is a story of true grit and tenacity. Making it to the top of the bureaucracy in India is never an easy dream to nurture. “But hard work never goes unpaid,” quips  Margan.

Reminiscing about her experience at the university, Margan recalls the time when her other classmates were working on themselves and getting prepped for campus placements. “I was preparing,” she adds, “without any backup plan or job experience just after graduation. I was under tremendous  peer pressure as others were doing pretty well in their lives and I was still struggling. There were moments of frustration and even the impulse to quit the preparation.”

Besides the challenges on the professional front, her personal life, too, had its own share of difficulties. Margan explains, “During the process of preparation, my father got transferred and my mother was also facing health issues. So I had to balance the responsibility along with the preparation.”

She secured rank 159 in Bihar Public Service Commission 60-62nd exam.

Despite all the success, she is modest enough to concede that she did not expect to crack any of the examinations in one go as she was an average student. . Says she, “I was not amongst those few who crack such competitive exams in one go. I faced failures, nothing was working out. One exam cycle is a pretty long one, lasting minimum for a year and failure in one attempt is a loss of a year of hard work, and career progression.”

But one thing she had in ample measure was perseverance and positivity. She credits her success to strong family support that never let her quit and kept motivating her. “Along with it my own belief,” she adds, “that one day I will surely crack it, and even if by any chance I am not able to clear it, I will do something for the masses,  was my sole motivation that kept me going.”

Margan says, “The course I pursued at UPES helped me immensely in the preparation of science and technology section which constitutes a major chunk of the syllabus and gave me an easy edge over the other aspirants. UPES also provided me with ample opportunities for overall personality development, in the form of extra-curricular activities, personality development sessions, professional communication classes and a focus on practical, rather than just theoretical sessions.”

Margan believes that the seeds of one’s career are well sown in the college, and it stands true for her as she began preparing for Civil Services during her college days. She proudly says, “My alma mater has been a major pillar of strength and confidence building. It has helped me inculcate the values and qualities expected of an administrator. UPES provided me with a conducive environment, an atmosphere to grow, learn, lead and become what I am today. For all aspirants and my present UPES fellows who wish to become an administrator, I would like to dedicate my favorite quote: Winners never quit and quitters never win.”