I come from a small town but have lived in big cities. This is mainly due to the fact that my dad was ambitious, and he believed in dreaming big. Hi…my name is Bhargavi and this is my story on how I overcame challenges to achieve my ambitions.
I was born in a town named Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh (Krishna District). But have never lived there as my dad worked in Mumbai when I was young. We constantly kept shifting cities and towns due to the job transfers he had. Due to this very reason, I ended up studying in 7 schools! Each school gave me a different experience. Some of them gave me good memories and some not so good.
When I was in grade 4, we shifted to Dubai. It was a very difficult phase of my life. I did not have proper communication skills and neither I could speak good English in school. Kids there made fun of me due to my accent. But there was only one classmate of mine who encouraged me that I should stop fearing and keep talking in English so that I can pick up the language fast. She later became my best friend as well. Eventually within a year I could speak fluent English. Also, it was mandatory for me to clear my Arabic exam to continue my studies there in a CBSE school. In 30 days my tutor who was from Pakistan made me clear the exam with a score of 29.5 out of 30. She was brilliant and probably one of the first individuals who got the best out of me. During my first two years in Dubai, I was struggling with academics as I had come from state syllabus and it was tough to adjust in a CBSE curriculum. I used to study the entire day keeping everything aside and finally from Grade 7 my hard work started paying off. I started becoming one of the toppers in class.
We moved to Abu Dhabi from Dubai where my English teacher got me out of my shell and encouraged me to open up and take part in various competitions. This started boosting my confidence and became one of the high achievers in school. I was nominated twice for Sheikha Fatima Award which is given to the most outstanding female student across various GEMS schools in UAE.
In grade 12 I was struggling with few subjects like computer science and economics. I almost failed in computer science every exam. My tuition teacher got the best out of me. She made me sit for long hours and guided me to study the relevant things. Also, during my grade 12 pre-board exam, I almost failed in economics. Whatever days were left in my hand before board exams I gave my best and worked very hard. I had scored 99/100 becoming the school topper for economics.
In college too I overcame a lot of my fears of staying away from home and academics through belief in myself I would do good and my friends support. Christ University, Bangalore was a place which gave me a new perspective towards life and a new approach towards things. This is also the place where I made friends for life who loved me for who I was and never judged me.
After joining work as a fresher, initial few days for tough on me. I had to learn a lot of things in a small span of time, related to tools as well as people. I had to face several escalations at various levels including the insurance director of EY! What a poor performer I can be. I worked very hard to deliver the best work possible to the client, went back home, sat for hours trying to learn various tools and software. I got Extra Miller award for this client and proved my worth at my workplace.
Through all my struggles I realized that life is not easy. Stay only with and around people who bring the best out of you. Hard work, patience, dedication, passion and ambition can take you a long way in life. Try being the best version of yourself every single day till it becomes a habit. Be honest and committed to what you have signed up for! And… this is the story of how I overcame my challenges to achieve my ambitions.