"Becoming The Women Of Mettle Was No Less Than A Dream" - Aishwarya Raj, IIEST Shibpur

At first, I couldn't believe it! Tata Steel is one of the biggest names in our country, I pinched myself only to realize that my dream had actually come true.

Tata Steel successfully concluded the results of its pioneering scholarship programme ‘Women Of Mettle Season 5'. The initiative was launched with the purpose of creating equality for women in the industrial sector. As per the schedule, participants are subjected to a method of selection that comprises numerous technical rounds. The applicants are given real-life technological problems, and the top 10 selected women receive the chance to submit their ideas to the judges in the grand finale of the competition. Here's what the winner of the competition had to say about her adventure!

Speaking of her win...

To be selected among the top 10 finalists of Tata Steel Women Of Mettle Season 5 was a dream. We all know that Tata Steel is one of the biggest names in India to be associated with, and I was very sure that every finalist was as capable, if not more, of winning the grand finale.

After my presentation was over, I patiently watched the brilliant presentations of my fellow participants. All of them were brilliant and performed like a winner. Finally, the time for the announcement of results arrived and my heart was thumping in excitement. The honorable jury announced the second and first runner up and I was not one of those names. My excitement reached its climax and I was hoping perhaps something is still there for me. As soon as the respected jury paused for a second and called my name, I pinched myself hard to make sure I am in the real world and not in the dream! In a moment, the spotlight was on me. It was an unbelievable moment.

Constant preparation for effective performance

The topic of the case study was given on 13th July after being shortlisted in the top 50 candidates of women of Mettle. We were given 4 weeks to prepare for the presentation in the pre-finale and that was the most challenging phase with lots of ups and downs. However, I had to keep my nerves and temperament resilient. I knew that this opportunity wasn't an ordinary one and hence, I gave my best to it. There were 10 finalists selected through tough competitions conducted by Tata Steel among students from premier engineering institutes and according to me, every finalist was a very tough competitor.

What did I get to learn?

Perseverance and Hard work is the key to success. I was exposed to the real problems and solutions faced by professionals in the real industry which were not possible in classroom study. Though, the most special moment of my journey was when I received the mail of my selection among the top 10 finalists for Women of Mettle. I realized the huge responsibility of carrying the good work forward as I was representing my institute as well as my branch of engineering. Expectations were very high. However, I was blessed to have such great mentors, Mr. Devendra Kumar Shah, Head CEM, E&I, and Mr. Subrat Das, Sr Manager CEM, E&I, who supported and guided me at every step. The main lessons that I learned throughout this journey are:

Never stop learning and trying. Dreams do come true!
Consistency in your efforts will always pay off.
Make sure to deliver your best in any situation.