I am #ISDIWPP : Celebration of Choice.💕

To,

The dreamers

As I start my new academic year of 2018 -19 which is my second year at the prestigious ISDI WPP School of Communications. I marvel how special this year has been or probably beyond special. One year ago, I cleared my Board exams with flying colors and was directionless like many others. I still am to a certain extent However, I have to realized that is important to be confused to measure pros and cons of different professions, to contradict oneself and to constantly explore but at the same time to enjoy this process, to absorb and learn as much as you can.

One year ago, I successfully completed YES FOUNDATION Media for Social Change Fellowship 2017 and I was the youngest Fellow. Post Fellowship I received a scholarship to pursue an undergraduate diploma in Media, Advertising, and Public Relations at ISDI WPP for three years. I am immensely grateful to YES FOUNDATION and Radha Kapoor Ma’am, Founder and Executive Director, ISDI and ISDI WPP School of Communications for this golden opportunity.

The Challenge

All though I received the scholarship. I never thought I would take up Advertising or Marketing or Communications. I was thinking about Journalism for my Masters but I was also more inclined towards Political Science and it continues to be my favorite subject. My parents felt I wasn’t focused and were also worried about how I would manage both as this program is a diploma it allows students to do their Graduation simultaneously. All though I always did something parallel right from my school days. I was apprehensive about the challenges and the clashes I would have to deal with. I was apprehensive but the institution managed it so well ensuring that we had holidays during our college exams and different sessions apart from academics to ensure that we manage our time well and increase our productivity. In this one year, I have managed my time like never before.

My Mentors, My Strength

There are extraordinarily successful leading professionals on the board for mentoring the school and for reviving the syllabus according to the shift of mindset, change of trends and relevant skill sets. My pillars have been these amazing people and the most important lessons I learned from them.

Dr. Indu Shahani, Chairperson, ISDI ISDI WPP ISME – I have immense admiration for Dr. Shahani Ma’am. She has truly been our Chief Mentor. With the wealth of experience, she has whenever she addresses us one can note of all that she says.  What I admire most about her are her curiosity and her oratory skills. She is truly a lifelong student. Apart from her professional traits as a renowned Educationist. I appreciate the fact that she takes interest and makes time to interact with students. I am always intellectually enriched after talking to Dr. Shahani. After knowing Dr. Shahani for a year and to my mind she has a certain puritanical streak and a sense of humor. She is thoughtful, prone to reflections and committed to what she considers School Social Responsibility apart from academia and always encourages us to take up causes we believe in. I consider myself fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Shahani Ma’am.

I am greatly influenced by my absolute favorite Prof Anuja Kimatrai. She is known for her worksheets and the creative assignments she gives us apart from all this that makes her an incredible teacher. What I admire the most about her is her eye for detail, she is mindful. She looks at the world through her self-made creative lenses. She knows exactly how to make any class exciting. She will always take efforts to send us the timetable in a creative way which is very thoughtful of her. No doubt she handled the communications of leading brands at Ogilvy and Mather including the launch of Tata Nano. She is the wind beneath our wings. One thing that sets her apart which is rare to find that she is one of those rare people who are in love or who love their job tremendously. She continues to be as energetic as she was from day 1 and one can see the joy and happiness in her eyes, one can see how much she enjoys her work and so is the case with my Marketing Prof Janak Vadgama. I aspire to be like her. I want to be in love with whatever I take up eventually and explore. Anuja Ma’am not only taught me advertising but opened a world of endless possibilities. She has truly imparted life skills.

I cannot thank enough the faculty and the mentors for their constant encouragement and valuable guidance I received at ISDI WPP in last one year.

Leadership and Meeting the Royals 

One of the best occasions for me was when I swore in as the Junior Director in the Students Council. I was delighted to have Madam Jane Hollander, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University, Australia. All thanks to Dr. Shahani. The first exciting event in my council tenure was meeting and interacting with His Royal Highness Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex. There have been stalwart series with leading professionals on every Wednesday which went on for 3 months and I am enriched by interacting with all of them.

My Batch, My Support System

On day one, Prof Anuja asked each one of to stand up and say about ourselves. And She made us realize we belong to different fields and this diversity has been my major source of learning. I am blessed to have such diverse group of individuals. I learn every day from each one of them and I admire each one of them. They have truly been my strength. The diversity in faculty is incredible I widened my perspective with those valuable lessons taught by the amazing Nivedita Ma’am who taught us culture studies. I have leveraged my research and organizational skills under the guidance of the remarkably intelligent Shefali Ma’am. This diversity has helped me tremendously in mapping my career and have a holistic approach.

Performance with Purpose

ISDI WPP School of Communications will always emphasize on advertising because it is a communications school but there is much more to this school than just this. ISDI WPP bought me closer to the needy, the downtrodden, the vulnerable by providing opportunities to volunteer for 2 months on weekends at various NGO’s based on our interests through Community Connect Programs. Our Values are Compassion, Competence, Collaboration, Creativity, Confidence and Curiosity in Communications. I am enriched that my school is driven to give back to society and to look for purpose in whatever we do. At the end of the year, my summer Observership with Grey Worldwide Pvt Ltd is icing on the cake.

To Wrap Up

I dedicate this post to the dreamers. I am a dreamer. I always had big dreams and as I continue to. Two years ago, I only dreamt, however, I always tried to be patient and to kept on learning and enjoyed the process and 2 years later ISDI WPP provided me this golden opportunity. I have never lost hope. I can say that every day is a new day at the school but there are challenges too. I believe opportunities and challenges come hand in hand and we only emerge stronger surmounting them. I could only cover important events in this blog because I chose to look at the brighter side. There have been challenges to manage both the colleges but I always chose the road less traveled and I will continue to. J. K Rowling once said, “The choices we make define the people we are.” In retrospect, this one year has been full of opportunities. But my key learning is, that it is important to identify our strengths and to play to our strengths this is what I did and I continue to. I remember the immortal lines of Austin Carlile that “Happiness is not a destination, it is a journey.” I have enjoyed every moment at ISDI WPP and as I complete one year at ISDI WPP this is truly a celebration of choice. #IamISDIWPP