Desire to succeed

- by Aparna Achuthan

I have been working at Pratham as a part of the Placements team for the past 2 months. During this period, I have had the opportunity to interact with the students of the vocational training courses at PACE Chembur. On one of my visits, I witnessed a discussion that the students of the Beauty Care Course had with some MasterCard employees. The discussions revolved around time management, leadership qualities and entrepreneurial skills needed to run their own business.

The most important thing that struck me from the discussion was the enthusiasm and belief the young women had to become entrepreneurs. These students included young college girls and women who had children and other family responsibilities. In addition, many of them faced difficult financial and other personal problems. However, they did not see their personal responsibilities and problems as an obstacle, but rather as a motivation. Their will and desire to succeed by working hard was very strong. The need to succeed was not only to support their families but also to become independent by having a career of their own. This positive outlook towards work and life was very heartening and was an inspiration in itself.

- Aparna, who is the Regional Coordinator for Placements, describes an inspirational discussion with our students