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The one woman army that Dared to Do More with PepsiCo | Bijayeta Pati from IMT Ghaziabad
The one woman army that Dared to Do More with PepsiCo | Bijayeta Pati from IMT Ghaziabad
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Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things through hard work, a vision to succeed, unwavering patience and an indomitable passion for the job. Those are the four things that helped me in my journey from 12000 registrations to being the National Winner of PepsiCo Dare To Do More 2019.
Being a mechanical engineer, I have always had a product-centric mindset to create something that helps in solving complex problems. Plastic waste was one such field that was close to my heart. I constantly pushed myself to find a product solution that changed the way people looked at plastic. The moment I had created a potential product for this complicated waste management case, I felt no opportunity was better than a podium entirely dedicated to pitching about sustainability. PepsiCo's student challenge was a turning point for my career in many ways. I remember my friends and peers congratulating me for clearing the initial rounds of PepsiCo Dare to Do More. They wished me the best for further rounds. I was able to excel, grow individually and was thankful for the exposure.
But as the events finally culminated into the final national round, I had to prepare for the hardest and toughest competition of my life. Despite being a single participant, I never let that notion deter me. I instead wanted to turn this fact into a success story. It didn’t matter whether or not I was in a team. I knew I could depend on my abilities and ace the final round with them.
On the D-day, I remember being completely nervous till the moment I entered the conference room to pitch my idea to the executive leaders. The moment I started talking about my idea passionately, I could feel the judges connecting with me on every word. Every small gesture from them boosted my confidence. At the end of the presentation, the leaders gave an applauding clap for the pitch. I was more than happy to keep that as a memory to cherish even if I didn't win. As the day progressed, I learnt a lot about Pepsico's culture and interactions. Finally, the time for result declaration arrived. The moment I was announced the National Winner of PepsiCo Dare to Do More, I saw my dream come true.
To be honest, I felt PepsiCo's student challenge was not limited to one particular field of work. It gave a holistic environment to build the pitch, including aspects of marketing, finance, social and entrepreneurial acumen and strategy. It gave me a perspective on how leaders run businesses. In addition, the exposure provided me to interact with CXOs which in itself was experiential learning of its kind. There were many real-life lessons that I garnered, starting from the importance of strategy, why the review of your work is crucial to the fact that hard work always shines. Overall, my experience of the competition was truly overwhelming.
How my idea evolved
Being a mechanical engineer, I have always had a product-centric mindset to create something that helps in solving complex problems. Plastic waste was one such field that was close to my heart. I constantly pushed myself to find a product solution that changed the way people looked at plastic. The moment I had created a potential product for this complicated waste management case, I felt no opportunity was better than a podium entirely dedicated to pitching about sustainability. PepsiCo's student challenge was a turning point for my career in many ways. I remember my friends and peers congratulating me for clearing the initial rounds of PepsiCo Dare to Do More. They wished me the best for further rounds. I was able to excel, grow individually and was thankful for the exposure.
But as the events finally culminated into the final national round, I had to prepare for the hardest and toughest competition of my life. Despite being a single participant, I never let that notion deter me. I instead wanted to turn this fact into a success story. It didn’t matter whether or not I was in a team. I knew I could depend on my abilities and ace the final round with them.
The final day of the competition
On the D-day, I remember being completely nervous till the moment I entered the conference room to pitch my idea to the executive leaders. The moment I started talking about my idea passionately, I could feel the judges connecting with me on every word. Every small gesture from them boosted my confidence. At the end of the presentation, the leaders gave an applauding clap for the pitch. I was more than happy to keep that as a memory to cherish even if I didn't win. As the day progressed, I learnt a lot about Pepsico's culture and interactions. Finally, the time for result declaration arrived. The moment I was announced the National Winner of PepsiCo Dare to Do More, I saw my dream come true.
To be honest, I felt PepsiCo's student challenge was not limited to one particular field of work. It gave a holistic environment to build the pitch, including aspects of marketing, finance, social and entrepreneurial acumen and strategy. It gave me a perspective on how leaders run businesses. In addition, the exposure provided me to interact with CXOs which in itself was experiential learning of its kind. There were many real-life lessons that I garnered, starting from the importance of strategy, why the review of your work is crucial to the fact that hard work always shines. Overall, my experience of the competition was truly overwhelming.
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