In our list of India's Best 50 - the 50 Most Employable Students from the Class of 2021-23, we feature MBA students who have walked that extra mile and done that little more to stand out! One of those featured in today's story, Mishita Jain, has shown an incredible amount of passion to achieve her true potential. Read on and find out her story!
The following are Mishita Jain’s set of responses to a questionnaire floated amongst MBA graduates to determine the top 50 Most Employable MBA Graduates of the Class of 2023. Amongst the massive number of entries and responses being evaluated, Mishita's story and profile stood out. Here's her story in her own words.
Name an instance where you wanted something and went out of your comfort zone to achieve it OR Tell us the biggest risk you have taken so far in your life.
The biggest risk I have taken so far in my life was stepping out of my comfort zone. When I joined the MBA Programme at IIM Calcutta, I was sure that I was cut out for a career in marketing. It aligned with all my interest areas and gave me a deep sense of comfort. Cut to summers, I was offered a PPO from Nestle and had two options ahead of me: stick to marketing or give consulting a chance. Very honestly, I had never imagined I would have to pick between choosing to sit for further interviews or settle for what I had. Everyone around me thought that it would be alright if I continued with my Nestle PPO: this was something I enjoyed and I was deeply invested in. They said that the work life balance would be better in a marketing job as well. However, I had one senior who pushed me to think what I thought would be best for me. He said one thing and that will always stick to me: A little discomfort today might bring you a hundred comfort zones tomorrow. I mulled over it through the night, I only had 6 hours to finalize my decision and convey it to the placement committee: I decided to try my hands at consulting at least once, and made it Alvarez & Marsal. In hindsight, I am grateful I chose to go to consulting, because even with hectic days, I got to step out of my comfort zone. I met some amazing people both in and out of the office, got a taste of the endless possibilities stepping out of my comfort zone could bring me, and this one experience changed me from being risk averse to somewhat of a risk taker.
When was the last time someone relied on you? OR What did you do which was purely for someone else - a truly selfless act?
Despite having a beautiful campus, ours has its own fair share of issues and problems. In the month of November 2022, just after my term V mid-term, the messes in all the hostels of the campus were shut down. We had no food, and PGP1s had their mid terms going on. As a part of the culinary club, I proposed that PGP2s come together to prepare a simple meal in bulk to help everyone on campus. Me and 3 other people spent close to 5-6 hours, relentlessly, to make approximately 112 coleslaw sandwiches. It was hectic in all senses of the term. That day, I had a class scheduled at 6 pm. I went to the class with half a heart, knowing fully well that some work was still left. One call from one of my teammates sent me reeling back at full speed to our cooking space, because we really did need all hands on deck. Usually, I would not miss a class, but that day, I believed that it was more important to ensure people eat: even my professor understood this feeling and even awarded me a waiver for missing the class! It was a fabulous feeling. Our preparations were simple, but the payoff was great! The cherry on the cake was the fact that we did get food from lunch onwards courtesy the administration. All was well since it ended really well: messes resumed work soon. This event made me realize that I liked having this additional sense of responsibility on my shoulders, and with all the help we received from numerous people that day, invigorated my own belief in the kindness of others.
Tell us about a time when you disagreed with an opinion/idea/decision. What did you do about it?
Right after the class 12th board results were declared, I was in a state of denial. Having worked hard through the year, I was expecting 95+ marks overall. I was in for a rude shock, I had scored 74% in English. For someone who wanted to pursue English honours in her undergrad, it felt like the world was collapsing on itself. These marks were still a mark short of the minimum requirement most private universities have, and I had dreamt of studying at Delhi University. Since I had science in classes 11th and 12th, a lot of people (including relatives, family friends, teachers and close friends) opined that I should stick to engineering. After all, I had considerably good grades in physics, chemistry and mathematics. My parents, however, left this decision on me. They asked me to consider my options, let them know what I thought and seek counsel from them if I felt that was okay: but the ultimate decision rested on my shoulders. Knowing for a fact that I wanted to study at Delhi university (and also that I would not be able to make it courses of my liking basis cutoff), I decided to prepare for a test that was 17 days away. The Delhi University Joint Admission test was a breath of fresh air for me, and I was fortunate enough to have scored enough marks to make it to Gargi College to pursue Business Economics. That subject made me realise how much I wanted to do an MBA, and so I did. I am extremely grateful and indebted to my parents for not forcing me to do things, but also to myself for not caving in to what others thought was right.
What is the one thing you can claim to have some level of expertise or depth of knowledge in - it could be anything - a subject, a sport, a hobby, a venture, an initiative that has led you to do deep work in that field?
A sport that is really close to my heart is a track and field favourite: shot-put. I first saw a put ball when I was in the eighth grade, and back then we were not allowed to throw put. My interest had piqued, and it was up until I was actually allowed to do it for the first time in grade tenth. It was in that first competition with virtually everyone else a senior, that I discovered a passion for the sport. From someone who was intimidated and could only throw the put ball far enough to stand third, I have come a far way. I never stopped practicing and continued the same and have since taken part in multiple events at various levels. During my UG, I consistently stood first at the annual University level event. Shot put opened up newer opportunities for me, it gave me the confidence that I could start late but with diligence, could make up for lost time. I started throwing discus only a year later, and even proceeded to try my hands at javelin and standing broad jump. My biggest contribution, however, would be when I got the opportunity to train my juniors. It filled me with immense joy to know that I instilled confidence in a dozen or so young women. Currently, I am trying to set up a few track and field activities including discus throw and shot put at IIM Calcutta.
If 10 Million Dollars (approximately INR 75 Crores) is given to you to use it any way you deem fit what would you do with this corpus?
I would like to contribute to the restoration of historic artifacts and sites of archaeological importance across the country. As someone who grew up constantly knowing about the country's culture through various avenues, my heart's desire is to be able to have museums that become prominent throughout the world in our country. History is a great teacher, and if we lose access to the moments frozen in time, we might have to learn these lessons the hard way. Sustainability is something very close to my heart, and so is art. I would like to fund an experiential art exhibition that awakens people to the rude reality of the world's environmental crises. It helps two causes at the same time: it supports artists as well as raises awareness about the need for us to change our ways. An experiential art exhibition opens up the mind in ways maybe a still piece cannot: when someone is in art, they feel it deeply, so the message resonates even more than it would if someone was to just merely spectate. Invest in different asset classes - 40% - 30% as long-term equity with consistent dividends/returns and 10% in riskier assets classes - this will help me draw out a monthly salary of the same volume as I would working in the private sector in the long term.
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As per government tax payers' data and our assessment, only about 6,00,000 Indian taxpayers earn an annual 'salaried' income of INR 30 lacs or above. And only 11,00,000 Indian taxpayers earn a 'total' income of INR 30 lacs or more.
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