What makes you a Difference Maker?
I believe what makes me a Difference Maker is the fact that I live my life in a way that tries to encourage the welfare of others, and also giving back to the community which has helped me succeed and helped make who I am today. For an international student like me, making a difference may be hard and you can never go through it alone. That’s what being a Difference Maker is about—knowing there is more than just my own future, but also helping others succeed in theirs makes a big difference.
I believe in our institutional mission and values and I’ve demonstrated and lived those things consistently through my day-to-day actions—this degree has surely made a difference in my life. In this ever changing world, where each day sees a spate of new concepts and applications and each passing day makes us obsolete, this campus has really achieved something—it’s helped me love school as much as I do. Despite my journey, it wasn't until I attended UM-Dearborn that I truly found myself. This is where I actually found my love for academia and my love for social change.
Highlight your campus achievements:
As a saying goes, “The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one's opportunities and make the most of one's resources.”
What I’ve learned so far during my time at the UM-Dearborn is that anything is possible, or that you can be a Difference Maker if you have the desire and passion to make it happen. A few achievements I’ve had since I‘ve been at UM-Dearborn are mainly in academia and on campus achievements. I’ve had semesters where I’ve had a 4.0 GPA, which is a great achievement for me and I was very proud of myself. I’ll be graduating in April of 2017 with honor awards in engineering management. But among these achievements, I’ve also had the chance to be interviewed for diversity and inclusiveness on campus by Metro Mode Media as an international student. What I consider to be a great achievement, though, which is undocumented, is all the thank you messages and wishes I get from the friends and peers who I’ve had the opportunity to help.
Highlight your leadership experiences both on and off campus:
Here at UM-Dearborn, my on-campus leadership experiences started from being a project manager for Formula SAE’s electric team, and then serving as president for Indian Graduate Student Association (IGSA). I also serve as the academic and professional chair for Student Organization Advisory Council (SOAC). Over the course of all of my positions, I’ve constantly reached out to other organizations and worked on diversity and inclusion for all students and have had the opportunity to be a volunteer for many social and professional organizations on and off campus.
Off campus, I currently serve in a full-time position with Altair Product Development—on site with Ford Motor Company—as a project management analyst. This professional development and career (along with being a full-time student) has taught me many leadership skills that I’ve been able to implement back to my leadership positions at UM-Dearborn.
What is your dream career and/or long term life goal?
My dream job is to be a professional industrial/organizational psychologist for the industry I’m currently working for. I’ve chosen this profession because it empowers me to fulfill my affection for psychology and for interceding conflicts between people. It permits me to use experiences and skills I’ve increased through my practical experience, for example, how to be a cooperative person and how to utilize different types of input effectively.
Aside from my craving to seek after this vocation, another long-lasting objective that I have is to end up in philanthropy work. There are specific causes that are important to me, and I feel constrained to give back and to keep on making contrasts in other individuals' lives. My long-term goal is to learn as much as I can every day for the rest of my life. Learning and applying knowledge are at my core and motivate me to be better every day.
What was your most defining moment at UM-Dearborn?
My most defining moment(s) of my UM-Dearborn career were being initiated into the different organizations I’m a member of, including Indian Graduate Student Association (IGSA), Formula SAE electric team and the Student Organization Advisory Council (SOAC), along with the leadership experience I’ve gained through these organizations.
These moments were very crucial to my development and growth as a graduate student in college. These organizations have allowed me to grow, learn and work for the goals that I set and live up to. They also bestowed me the best tools and skills that allowed me to build connections with important people and even earn a job (my current job). These organizations have also played an important role in my life and have contributed so much to my work ethic and motivation.
Being a UM-Dearborn student is all about working for the goals that we set and never giving up on the things that matter the most to us. UM-Dearborn has allotted me copious amounts of freedom to grow as a leader, and I can’t think of another school that allows international students to nurture such great connections with their administrators.
More importantly, however, I hold this moment in the highest regard because we’re given the chance to initiate something that is much bigger than us.
At a time when UM-Dearborn is striving to expand its inclusiveness and diversity on campus in order to gain an even greater respect in this area, working for these organizations has certainly contributed to this goal. So, in this sense, these are my most defining moments because it’s the legacy I leave the university and the greatest way in which I can give back to a place that has been so life-changing and spectacular to me.