“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.”
― Roy T. Bennett
The above lines of Roy T. Bennet have become the unprecedented preaching lines of Capital First Scholarship winner- Shiva Prasad M. Staying highly focused, Prasad M stands out as the flag bearer of optimism and sedulousness. His problem of speech impairment coupled with financial constraints could not shake his pillar of enthusiasm and determination. Prasad M. rose as a champion and not only he managed to get himself admitted to one of the prestigious B-schools of India but was also able to secure a scholarship for himself that took care of his financial issues. Read the success story of Shiva Prasad M who fought and conquered various battles of his life with glory. Below mentioned are the excerpts from his interview with Buddy4Study.
Buddy4Study: Share with us a brief background about your academic and professional journey until now.
Shiva Prasad M: From the longest time that I could remember, I have had this habit of reading everything which I could lay my hands on. After topping the school in 10th, I gravitated towards Science stream. But the vastness of syllabus in class 11th hit me hard and without tuitions (which cost a fortune), I struggled to cope up with concepts and teaching style in school. As a result, I couldn’t perform well. I sat down to analyse where I was lagging behind and developed for myself a personal charter. Class 12th went smoothly, and I ended up as the topper of my school. I took admission in Electronics stream from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore. I developed a love for digital technology during college days, and after that, I went on to work for Deloitte Consulting as a technology consultant.
After working for two years, I realized that I should arm myself with an MBA degree and explore the business side of things. I wrote CAT and XAT, got around 99% and had conversions from IIT-Bombay, XLRI(HR), New IIMs and IIM Shillong. I chose IIT-Bombay because of its low fees and excellent location and campus advantage.
Buddy4Study: What motivated you to pursue a course in management?
Shiva Prasad M: As Alfred Marshall succinctly put it, “Economics is a study of man in the ordinary business of life. It inquires how he gets his income and how he uses it. Thus, it is on one side the study of the wealth and on other and more important side a part of the study of man.” It has always fascinated me that we, the humans, have come so far from small barters to large conglomerates, and how there are many underlying forces/choices that influence business decisions. And, I want to explore these peculiarities more deeply. So far, the subjects like Economics and Marketing have been very interesting and stimulating. I hope at the end of two years, MBA helps me make informed decisions, both for myself and the society that I’ll be interacting with.
Buddy4Study: What were the key challenges faced by you during the course of your journey to reach here?
Shiva Prasad M: Tackling my speech impairment has turned out to be the biggest hurdle in my life. I had a pretty bad stuttering problem in my childhood which involved repetitions, prolongations and blocks. I have made significant progress in reducing it with age and experience. Pronouncing alphabet ‘R’ took me 11 years of regular practice. I would also sneak out to large empty grounds early morning or late evening to scream my lungs out to increase my lung capacity. I have gained tons of confidence by striking up conversations with strangers and also speaking in front of an audience whenever I get the chance.
Buddy4Study: What has been your source of inspiration?
Shiva Prasad M: Apart from my parents, my role model is Roger Federer, the living Tennis legend. He has impeccable conduct on and off the field and a calm demeanour. He is stoic even in the face of crushing defeats. He is the first one to congratulate his opponents even after a grand slam loss. A couple of years back, people had written him off, but he believed in his abilities, recognised and worked on some of his minor flaws and came back as a champion. The best thing which I love about him is the fact that he has mastered his strengths with dedication and consistency so much that it looks so effortless and a form of high art to all his spectators.
Buddy4Study: How has your family supported you in your venture to pursue this course?
Shiva Prasad M: We are not so financially strong. But my parents always ensured that my studies do not get affected. They supported my decision to quit a well-settled job in a firm like Deloitte. They took care of all my needs however minute they may be. I am grateful to my parents and I owe them all that I have achieved till now.
Buddy4Study: How did you come to know about the Capital First Scholarship? What were the steps followed to avail the scholarship?
Shiva Prasad M: I distinctly remember it was an afternoon in IIT-Bombay campus, suddenly a thought struck my head, ‘Are there any scholarships for MBA?’. I quickly searched and Buddy4Study was one of the topmost results. After exploring for a while and found about the Capital First scholarship.
Even though the process was tedious, it seemed quite logical too. I had to apply at the portal with all the required set of documents. After applying for the scholarship, I got a call for an interview in which questions like my motivations for pursuing a degree in MBA were asked. After a month elapsed, I got a pleasant text message informing that I was selected for this scholarship scheme.
Buddy4Study: What are your ambitions in the future and how do you plan to execute them?
Shiva Prasad M: My career aspirations include working in the area of strategy consulting and applying my learnings to new, exciting challenges in industries, especially in the area of digital disruption.
Consulting is a domain which demands interactions with the diverse set of people and implores you to read and get to know your domain of expertise deeper. I also want to contribute my bit in solving the problem of inequitable distribution of opportunities in our society, which is one of its greatest ill, by the way of powerful collaboration.
Buddy4Study: Any piece of advice that you would like to impart to other potential aspirants like you who are constrained by various challenges towards pursuing higher education.
Shiva Prasad M: One should always remember that investment on yourself will always be worth it! You may be leaving the safety of the shore but you’ll always make the journey worth it if you are focused enough. Always be on a lookout for websites such as Buddy4Study which can prove to be a useful aid during studies.
Don’t forget the power of collaboration and networking, use websites like LinkedIn extensively because the network you build now will help you leaps and bounds later.
Also read: Top Scholarships for Engineering Students in India