Aswini S Kamath from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore is one of India's Most Promising Incoming MBA Students 2022!
The following is Aswini S Kamath's set of responses to a questionnaire floated amongst incoming MBA graduates to determine the top-50 Most Promising Incoming MBA students of 2022. Amongst the massive number of entries and responses being evaluated, Aswini S Kamath's story and profile stood out. Here's her story in her words.
My name is Aswini S Kamath, which in short comes out to be A.S.K. and that is something I love to do. I love to ask questions and find new answers. I love meeting new people with different ideas. I am a hard worker and completely persistent when i want to achieve something. I enjoy taking up leadership roles, I was captain of the college netball team and IEEE General Secretary of my college. I worked as an Associate consultant at Oracle for 18 months and am now pursuing my MBA from IIM Bangalore.
Tell us more about your extracurricular achievements
I was the captain of the college net ball team. It being an unfamiliar sport, I had to coordinate with the faculty and students to increase enthusiasm and encourage participation. But our hard work payed off and we won the second runner up position in the inter zone ( state level ) netball tournament.I was also the general secretary of my IEEE Student branch, where we organised 30+ events including national level workshops, in that academic year and also increased membership by 40%. I was also the founding member of the college space club. Through this program, we conducted free star gazing sessions for school students across the state, enabling them to see what was beyond. We also held competitions and talks for college students and even set up observatories in and around the city for public viewership.
Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
I was part of college space club, and as part of the program we used to organise star gazing sessions (using telescope) across government schools. In one such instance, we had gathered around 300 students from varied backgrounds. But unfortunately the climate was not favourable and the sky was hardly visible. We had failed to predict such a scenario, and we had to make do with the temporary events we made up on the spot. This made me understand the importance of a strong contingency plan. Soon after the event, we made a pact with the neighbouring museum, so that in case of such events, we could still give the students an enjoyable experience. The event also taught me how to think on my feet and make the best of every opportunity.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
A fact about me that might possibly surprise others would be the extreme stage fright, i used to face in my childhood. One of the things that frightened me the most was speaking in front of people, I used to freeze, sweat and forget my lines completely. But I chose not to give up. I started small, where there were small gatherings. I took up debate and group discussions which required lesser stage time than elocutions. But finally after much practice and reiteration, public speaking has now turned into something that gives me joy and a feeling of accomplishment. From a feeling of I think everyone is judging me I have reached a feeling of this is my moment to convey my message and make an impact .
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
I had been working as a Tutor/volunteer as part of a non profit organisation called U&I. I was the tutor to three children, and taught them English throughout the academic year, it was an amazing experience where we helped each other learn and grow. One of the most memorable days in my life would be when one of my mentees contacted me in class to inform me that she had topped her class in English and vocabulary. She was so happy and the news made me ever more happier. Although it was definitely her effort alone that led to her success, it felt amazing to be part of her journey. It made me realise the importance of sharing, helping and the joy of mutual appreciation and love.I would describe my cat score/ percentile also to be a recent success. Not because of the importance of the exam, but the sheer effort, will and thought I put into it. Having limited time beyond work, I was forced to prioritise and divide my work. I had to manage my time efficiently and at the same time deal with all the disappointments associated with mock exams and tests. I decided to work harder and try out new approaches. I constantly built on any mistakes I made and took help of seniors and college students. Hence the percentile I received made me believe that we can achieve anything through hard work, and that was a success for me.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
In 5 years, I see myself leaving a job, which has hopefully provided me with necessary contacts and experience to launch my own company.I am someone who loves to travel, I feel that travel helps me to get a new perspective about life and ideas, and each journey has given me new lessons and experiences. But one of the major obstacles that females face, especially in travelling solo is the safety concerns and restrictions from family on this regard. I know many women even on a personal level,For whom travelling is a big wish, but an impossibility given the current familial situation. One of my biggest dreams in life would be to set up such a company, which will help female travellers feel safe and secure. I also have a wish to set up a non profit org. through which I can take underprivileged kids from various locations across india, through a short national tour. I feel that this will inspire them and help them in discovering their passions and dreams.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
The skill that I am most proud of will be my ability to just not give up, to get back up and work even harder and at the same time learn from the mistakes I made. This can be attributed to all my successes in life. From not getting selected in prelims to bagging one of the best placement from college. From getting about 45% percentile in Logical reasoning and working up to 99.72% in LR, it has always been my persistence and dont give up attitude that helped me along the way.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
A successful manager has to be a good intermediary, acting as a representative for his employees and as a representative of the higher management as well. She/he should be patient, compassionate and understanding. She should also be result oriented, charismatic and proactive. A great manager will put in the efforts to understand the difficulties faced by the staff, and encourage them to approach her whenever needed. She would also be far-sighted, calm and composed in face of difficulties and never compromise on morals and trust. A successful manager will not try to grasp all the limelight, but would find pride in the success of her team and lead them together towards success.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
We had just completed the project for one client and shifted to a new client. Our manager had asked the junior team to complete the maintenance in the new environment as was done in the old one, capture the same and create a presentation using the captured screenshots. This was an elaborate process, and we were to complete it in two days time. Many in my team were of the point of view that we should just modify the screen-captures of the old client and correct them using paint, so that we can complete the maintenance in leisure. I was against this approach, and we had a discussion regarding the same. In the end we came to a consensus that, it was best to complete the maintenance even if it meant longer hours. And because of this reason we were also able to give live demonstration along with the presentation.
If you were the CEO of any company of your choosing, which company would you choose and what would your first action be as CEO?
I would definitely choose to be the CEO of Facebook/ Meta and take up the place of Mark Zuckerberg. I believe that what sets any company apart is its ethics, morals, and how much they contribute to humanity as a whole. Facebook had started off as a revolution, connecting people and and the world. But due to various scandals and data-leaks, the company has lost its value and its share market. If I was the CEO I would set up a specialised segment inside the company to look into how we can preserve the privacy of the user and not create communal hatred and social media bubbles, even while trying to preserve revenue. I would try to improve the brand image and provide proper clarification for all the malignant rumours aligned to the organisation. I would strive to make friendship with Apple Inc. and coordinate with them to increase security and privacy. I would also encourage social outreach to improve company morale, as it is the culture of the company that affects the culture of the workers and vice versa.
Any Other Comments Or Factors You Would Like To Highlight About Yourself?
InsideKampus site and its various interviews on YouTube has been a constant source of inspiration for me throughout my preparation time. The various interviews were super informative and gave me the grit to try harder and do better. I would like to thank you for all your help and would like to reiterate that i am and will always try to become a better version of me and if it does happen try to make the world too a bit better version of itself, my starting my own company.