Interviewers: Amaan and Suhas

Amaan: Good morning ma’am. Thanks for talking to us.

Ramya ma’am: You know I am always open to talk to you guys.

Amaan: Everyone has dreams about the job or the profession he or she would choose to be in. What was your dream job as a child?

Ramya Ma’am: Humm... During school, I felt strongly about becoming a doctor. Once I joined high school, however, I had a reality check (courtesy of my parents) and realized that the medical field was not really for me.

Suhas: Thank god! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had such lovely person amonst us to guide us at every step. Tell us about your journey to Manthan.

Ramya ma’am: I studied engineering at NIT, following which I worked at Siemens and Morgan Stanley. As I worked in those companies, I became interested in the management and finance, so I decided to apply for an MBA. I got my MBA degree from NYU Stern School of Business and then went on to work for Citigroup.
While I was doing my MBA, I was actively involved in advising and aiding MBA applicants along their application process. It was something I really enjoyed. So when the opportunity presented itself to work at Manthan as a career counselor, I took it up.

Amaan: Counseling students is walking a tightrope. How do you do it with such ease and what plans do you have in terms of career counselling for high school?

Ramya ma’am: Of course, it is not. But all stress vanishes at the sight of hardworking students. Honestly, I made a time-table for the senior grades (9-12) last year but wasn’t able to implement it completely. So this year I have decided to adapt to changes in the students’ timetable and work it out accordingly.
Also, I am looking to bring more universities from the UK, US, and India to the school to give all the students better insight about different colleges.

Suhas: That is really thoughtful of you. What questions should students ask themselves when beginning to think of college or their future professions?

Ramya ma’am: The main questions would be the following:
What are you interested in?
What are you good at?
With answers to these, you can narrow down the professions available to you.
In the case of colleges, I would say it depends on what the student is looking for.
These are more generalized questions (which would be followed by more specific questions as per the student), but are a good place to start.

Amaan: Great, this will certainly help our readership. Tell us about an incident or experience which has had a profound impact on you as a person today.

Ramya ma’am: When I was going from middle school to high school, we happened to move cities. There was a drastic change in schooling for me as I moved from a more conventional school to an international school, like Manthan. The process of adaptation from a traditional learning style to a more dynamic one, from less focus on extracurricular activities to more, and of my mindset on the whole really allowed me to grow.

Suhas: Yes, you would have come across such diverse people and learning atmosphere. Tell us about a hidden talent of yours.

Ramya ma’am: Baking and cake decorating is something I enjoy so that would be my hidden talent.

Amaan: Now for a few lighthearted, fun questions. If you were stuck on an island and were only allowed to take three things with you, what three things would you choose?

Ramya ma’am: I would take a good book (a light read through). ‘The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy’ is a book I love, so I would take that. I would also take my phone and, since I care quite a lot about dental hygiene, a dental hygiene kit.

Suhas: Not many people think of that, but rotting teeth is not a good thing to have on a deserted island. Smart move. So onto our last question. This is probably the most important question of them all. Who is your favourite student?

Ramya ma’am: Definitely the both of you, mainly because you are sitting in front of me, [Navaneeth walks into the room] and Navaneeth!

Suhas: Thank you so much for your time ma’am. We (Amaan and I) are sure the interview will be quite insightful for our readers.

Ramya ma’am: Pleasure is all mine.