Born in a middle class Tamil
Brahmin family, our asset was our brain and my mother ensured that we made very
good use of it. My mother coached myself and my brother to excel in everything
we do, may it be school curriculum or extra-curricular activities. She like any
other Indian parent, had dreams of seeing her son as an engineer and her
daughter as a doctor. My brother fulfilled her dream by becoming a mechanical engineer
and to top it, he was the very first in our family to pursue higher studies in
US.
However, when it was my turn,
I disappointed her by not qualifying in the medical entrance exam. I had actually scored the 1100th
rank, however, being born a Brahmin was actually acting against me as only the
first 500 could get a medical seat in Open quota. I still remember my downstairs
neighbour uncle commenting to my mom, “Don’t you worry; your daughter is
eventually going to become a doctor - of
philosophy if not of medicine”
I really don’t know if it was this
urge in me to fulfil my mom’s dream that made me pursue my doctoral degree but
the road from BS Agriculture to PhD Food Science was worth all the effort, as
it taught me the values of kindness, humility, patience, perseverance and above
all the will power and necessary ammunition to hop hurdles in the sport called life.
I got admission into BSc
Agriculture with the 1100th rank I scored in the common entrance
exam. I pursued my studies with a strong determination to excel, never looking
back at rewriting the Medical Entrance again. I somehow wanted to prove to all
those seeking medical seats that there is something more in life that than
pursuing careers in set streams of Engineering and Medicine. My hard work paid
off as I was the Grade Point Topper bagging 3 Gold medals and a popular all-rounder
in campus.
However my excellent academic
record and GPA could not get me funding in any of the MS programs that I got
admitted into in the US. Nevertheless, with my brother’s encouragement and
support, I started my studies in the MS Food Science program at Kansas State
University. Although my brother paid the first semester fees, I worked 20-40
hr/week as a lab assistant cleaning test tubes, taking care of hazardous waste,
and helping grad students in their thesis work, to pay towards my living expenses.
In due time, I saved enough to not only pay my tuition, pay back my brother but
also to go on a holiday with friends.
My perseverance to maintain
zero tolerance for mistakes resulted in me getting straight A (4.0/4.0 GPA) in
my MS program, and a partial research fellowship in my MS program for the
following semesters and a fellowship to purse PhD at one of the premier
institutes for food science at UW-Madison, WI. As I was basking in the sun
thinking that my good times had started, I completely overlooked the dark storm
that was just waiting round the corner to pounce on me.
My MS thesis committee failed
me in my Thesis Defence. It was a blow to my conscience, especially for one
that had a straight A all through her life. The reason given was a poorly
written Thesis and unfortunately, there was no support coming from my mentor
whose job was to correct my thesis. I felt very lonely and helpless for the
very first time and saw my future vanishing right in front of my eyes. Because,
if I don’t get my MS degree on time, the PhD fellowship at UW Madison would be
given to next available candidate.
However, like in the fairy tale
Cinderella, I too was blessed with a fairy God Father in the form of a senior
Meat Science Professor by the name Dr. Kropf. I don’t know if it was my
continued excellence in the department, or the fact that I was his favourite
student, or that he was a UW Madison alumni, he stood for me in front of my committee
in a faculty meeting and fought my case, even though he was not my advisor or part
of my thesis committee. Since Christmas holidays were just few days away, the
committee agreed to review my thesis if resubmitted within a week. I worked day
and night to rewrite my thesis and all through this ordeal, Dr. Kropf selflessly
took time to edit my thesis and guide me, so I can deliver a well written
thesis and graduate in time.
This experience made me
realize that life is always full of surprises and we should never lose hope!
Good will always happen to those who believe in themselves. Since then
until now, I am actually carrying the “Baton” of goodwill that Dr. Kropf so
kindly showered on me. Never do I relent
in extending my hand as a mentor or a friend to anyone in need, may it be in my
professional or personal life. I especially don’t want any person to go through
feelings of sheer helplessness as I felt that fateful day.
Coming to UW Madison for my
PhD program was a haven after my experiences at Kansas State. The program was
completely paid for with full assistantship. I had a wonderful mentor, and
earned some of the best friendships. It was a great University with excellent
student services that allowed me to explore many new activities (rock climbing,
sailing, skiing, dancing, trekking, tennis) independently. It was as if I was
reliving my life just like the heroine in Titanic who survived her death in the
ocean and wanted to live (not exist) every moment of her life. My time at Madison
was one of the best in my entire stay in the US. Do you think I would have appreciated all of
that the way I did, if I had fewer hurdles to hop at Kansas State?
However graduate life was not
a bed of roses at Madison as well. After 2 years of working on my PhD thesis,
the funds ran dry and my Professor changed my project completely to a new one.
I had to start from square one all over again. It was 2 years of lost work!
However with all that I had to go through earlier, I sprinted forward with optimism
and graduated in almost 6 years (another 4 years) with a patent up my sleeve
and 2 publications. It was a roller coaster but was again all worth it.
Facing adversity or in other words, hopping hurdles in
life have actually shaped the person I am today. I have the confidence that no
matter what happens, I can give my best and survive any adversity in life. Our steadfast determination as a family to make
it happen after relocating to India, and not regret our decision is another
example of how hopping hurdles can bring the best in you and lead you through
the road of success.
