“Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.” – Marcia Wieder
With a dream of becoming an innovator, Reshma Khutboddin Korabu, an exceptionally meritorious and bright scholar of L’Oréal India For Young Women in Science Scholarship firmly believes that her commitment and her actions can bring her closer to her goals.
No matter how good or bad the situations are, she always comes up as a winner with her hard work and dedication. Despite facing financial constraints during her academic journey, Reshma continued her studies and now, she got a prestigious job offer as a System Engineer in TCS TRDDC (Tata Research Design and Development Centre) with a good package. Truly, this achievement of her life is the outcome of her rigorous efforts and determination.
Want to know more about her journey? Read the excerpts given below that have been taken from her interview with Buddy4Study.
Buddy4Study: Share with us a brief background about your academic and professional journey (if any) until now.
Reshma: I am currently studying in the final year of B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from Walchand College of Engineering (WCE), Sangli. I have always been a meritorious student in academics. I passed my class 12th from Sangmeshwar College of Arts and Science, Solapur with 86.15% marks and class 10th from Nutan Vidyalaya, Mangrul with 94.18%. I have maintained my performance in B.Tech. as well by occupying the 2nd rank in the class with aggregate CPI of 9.48 out of 10. Besides academics, I have also been an active participant in various extra-curricular activities such as National Talent Search (NTS), elocution competition, kabaddi and more.
My professional journey has just begun as I have recently been placed as a System Engineer at TCS TRDDC. However, I have worked upon various projects in my college that have enhanced my skills and added value in my learning.
Buddy4Study: What motivated you to pursue a course in Computer Science and Engineering?
Reshma: The most important aspect of Computer Science and Engineering is problem-solving, an essential skill for life. My career objective is to utilise my knowledge, skills and abilities to solve real-world problems in an effective and creative manner. This is the reason why I chose Computer Science and Engineering.
Buddy4Study: What were the key challenges faced by you during the course of your journey to reach here?
Reshma: Since I lost my father when I was only 2 years old, my mother is the only support left for me. Of course, the financial condition of my family was a big hurdle in the pathway of my dream. I wanted to overcome the fear of my family’s financial condition. I always made myself believe that I can do anything and everything irrespective of the situation. I believe decisions determine destiny. When I completed my class 12th, I came to know about L’Oréal scholarship from my maternal uncle. This scholarship helped me a lot in pursuing my ambitions without any financial problem. Also, during the tough times, I received great support and motivation from one of the former Head Masters of Nutan Vidyalaya. He always showed me the path of progress.
Buddy4Study: Who has been your source of inspiration?
Reshma: My mother has always been my first source of inspiration. Also, I get inspired by Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the Missile Man of India. The best thing I learned from him is that never stop working. It is important to keep yourself busy as an empty mind is the house of the evil. Having the purest heart, he used to say, “To be a leader, one should have a perfect vision of his/her objectives. He/She should be able to take up both the failures and successes.” He has ignited a fire in me to strive towards perfection. I am also thankful to all my teachers who have elevated my mind during my journey.
Buddy4Study: How has your family supported you in your venture to pursue this course?
Reshma: After my father passed away, my mother was the only support available for me. She always supports me to achieve my dreams. She says “Leisure is the price of Labour”. She always motivates me by saying “Reshma, you can do this”.
Buddy4Study: How did you come to know about the L’Oréal Scholarship? What were the steps followed to avail the scholarship?
Reshma: I came to know about this scholarship from my maternal uncle who is a Professor in Satara. He found this information while searching for scholarships on the internet. As the financial condition of my family was poor, he searched over the internet for scholarships that can be helpful for my future studies. He came to know about Buddy4Study website where the scholarship was available.
He submitted my application and all the documents. I had to write an essay about my family background and academics at the time of application submission after which I was shortlisted for the telephonic round of interview in which I was asked about my future plans, career objectives, academics and family. Lastly, I was invited for a face-to-face round of interview in Mumbai after which I got selected for the scholarship. Though I was not so confident to answer fluently at the time of interview, I tried my best in both the rounds.
Buddy4Study: What are your ambitions in the future and how do you plan to execute them?
Reshma: I want to utilise my knowledge to solve real-world problems. As I am offered a role in TCS TRDDC as Systems Engineer, I have the opportunity to work on real-life problems and try to solve them in an effective and creative manner. I want to become an innovator. In fact, I am working on some real-world projects to add up to my experience and skills. Also, I want to do something for the meritorious students who face financial hurdles in availing education.
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.
Reshma: One can achieve what he/she thinks and believes. So, if you have strong will power, you can do anything irrespective of your background. Make your journey fun-filled. Use your imagination power in each work. Stay stable in each and every situation, be it good or bad and learn from your experiences.
Do you also want to be a successful scholar like Reshma? If yes, find your matching scholarships at Buddy4Study and apply for them.
