Q. Tell us something about yourself. What are your hobbies?
Ans: My name is Yashita Srivastava and I am a 3rd-year Economics honours student at Maitreyi College, Delhi University. With my roots in Lucknow, like every other student, I had a dream to study at Delhi University. Well, Nobody wants to study in the south campus colleges of Delhi University and especially the one whose name they haven't even heard of. As rightly said, "Life doesn't go so smoothly and merrier". And that's what happened with me. I entered Maitreyi College with no motivation because I never got the chance to even hear people discussing the name of this college. But, 2.5 years down the line, I've put my best efforts to prove that:- "College Tag shouldn't define who you're!". Your passion, zeal and enthusiasm shouldn't be limited by the boundaries of 4 walls. You have to keep your vision clear and be so determined towards your goal that you never get the chance to think that you're from Tier 2 or Tier 3 colleges. I've always been a voracious reader and love to delve into Finance and HR. From my 1st year of college, I participated in competitions, been part of several societies and got the pleasure to work with one of the LinkedIn Top Startups of 2022- Ditto Insurance and Finshots as an HR Intern. I never leave the chance to help people around me because I think kindness never goes in vain.
Talking about my hobbies, I'm a voracious reader and love to delve into Non-fiction. Well, to be honest, I was never a reader but my surroundings made me a reader for life. And that's what I always say:- "College life and college surroundings can make or break you for your entire life". I love to plan my next day the night before and that helps me a lot to keep a track of my progress. Well, I never learned singing but was fortunate enough to land my space in Riyaaz- The Indian Music society of Maitreyi College. Singing was always a passion and when you get the chance to work on your passion, you shouldn't leave that especially when you're in your first year of college. I served the society for almost 1.5 years and then decided to take a break and work on personal commitments. In fourth semester, I left the society and that was the same time when I got the pleasure of associating with 'Horizon- The Placement Cell of Maitreyi College'. I was always curious about how the corporate things work and function from the level of college and the placement cell of our college had it all.
Q2. Was there any specific reason for choosing Delhi University for pursuing graduation?
Ans: Yes, there were specific reasons like I belong to the Tier-2 city of Lucknow so there weren't a lot of things and opportunities in Lucknow. After getting the result of Class 12th boards, I only applied to one college in Lucknow and the last option was Delhi University, and it would have broken my heart if I didn't get admission to Delhi University at that time. But, now even my school teachers feel proud of me that I'm not leaving any chance to prove that yes, I deserved:- 'Delhi University'. I feel if one has a passion then one can achieve all the possible things despite their city or situation. Well, Delhi university offers a huge level of competition when you see everybody is nailing in their domains. So, I try my level best in helping juniors who didn't get into their dream college and I love to be on the curve to prove, ‘’Curiosity has fed more dreams than college tag ever will’’
Q3. I came to know you do content creation on LinkedIn, can you tell me how you started with LinkedIn and how did you grow in it?
Ans. I believe that if anything is done wholeheartedly it always fetches you the best results. So I started writing on Linkedin because I wanted to prove in front of a large audience that the College tag doesn't define you and you shouldn't be limited by it. My journey on LinkedIn started on 17th December 2021. First of all, I thought of simplifying Economics to the audience out there. But gradually, I understood that there are a lot of students who are suffering in college life and not able to make the best out of it. On LinkedIn I put in a lot of effort, I post consistently and I feel when posting consistently goes along with value-added content to the audience, they automatically love it and try to fetch good things from you. One incident I would like to share is that I had a junior who wasn't able to secure an internship, so she texted me and she was feeling depressed, I helped her with resume-building and within just one month she landed an internship at ISB-Indian School of Business and this is my greatest achievement till date. So, I feel really good when I help people around me So, I always push myself hard that I have to post content for my audience out there and most of my audience on LinkedIn reach out to me if I don't post in a while. It feels great when people recognize you with your content. I can bet on the fact that LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for all college folks out there. From landing internships to making meaningful connections for life, you'll experience it all.
Q4. I read you are an anchor and a public speaker as well, how did you start with it and what drove your interest towards it?
Ans. Well, thanks for reminding me that I was a part of the Public relations department of "Arthaneeti- The Economics Association of Maitreyi College". I hosted different webinars there. I love to take up the initiative and land good conversations. I'm a confident individual and I believe that my passion for exploring has always offered me the best chance to be a good listener and public speaker.
Q5. What are your career plans and how are they in line with what you're doing right now?
Ans: That's an interesting question. Feels like:- "Where do you see yourself in the coming 5 years" xD. Nevertheless, I'm aiming for work experience post my undergraduation and then would be glad to be part of a master's programme in HR and Finance :). Coming to the alignment part, I'm pursuing Economics Honours, so that'll help me to delve into Finance and the experience I've gained in the HR department, I wish to take that forward.
Q6. How do you manage your time with classes and everything?
Ans- I have always been a morning person, I wake up at around 4 AM and plan my day and at 5 AM I have my books ready until 6:30 I study and then when we have morning classes at 8:30 am, I leave my home at 6:30 am. I travel from Delhi NCR & during my travelling time, I do my internship tasks and once I reach college my whole focus is on studies and I try to understand what professors want to convey to us & in classes, I don't devote my time to anything else. I devote around 5-6 hours to my internship. As already said, I'm aiming for landing in HR and Finance. Thus, I along with my friend study concepts related to HR and Finance at regular intervals. From HR reports to Payroll and analysis, we're covering it all. Additionally, I want to add:- 'Never make your parents feel like they have made a wrong decision in their life for you, respect them the most". I would like to say that college is the best place to learn, experiment and most importantly "fail" at things and understand that it is completely okay to fail in college while trying out new things. The college has personally taught me a lot. Maitreyi itself has given me a lot. I have always been grateful for all the things in my life.
Q7. What would you tell your peers who aspire to achieve something big?
Ans. Yes, I would like to say that the college tag doesn't define a student and if one has the passion and enthusiasm to achieve something big in life and if they are consistent in it, they will achieve it. College circle does matter a lot. I would suggest people choose their surroundings wisely. One should never leave a chance to make the best out of college life but at the same time, discipline and dedication shouldn’t vanish in the process. Execution is the key, one should try to implement things they read and I would like to say explore as much as possible. One should never feel shy to reach out to people be it seniors, professors or anyone whom you think can help you out. Students should try their hands at cold emailing because ‘’Cold Emailing can land you to places where your resume will not’’. Never feel shy of asking for help or even helping others for that matter. Always try to see what's working for you and what's not working & never give heed to what people will say because they will always say something no matter what you do.
HIGHLIGHTS
Yashita Srivastava is a third-year student of Economic Honors at Maitreyi College and a LinkedIn content creator with 19K+ Followers.
She is also interning with one of Linkedin’s Top startups of 2022 known as Ditto insurance & Finshots. In Finshots, she is working as an HR Intern.
She started creating content on LinkedIn because she wanted to prove to all the college students that there are plenty of opportunities lying ahead. College tag shouldn't define who you're!
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