From a village in Uttar Pradesh to pursuing her dreams in Canada, PhD student Aparna shares her journey

Aparna Rajput is an alumna of Saraswati Vidya Mandir Haldaur, Bijnor and Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Dhampur, UP. She is presently doing her PhD in Concordia University on full scholarship. The maths enthusiast writes about  her inspirational journey from Bilai village in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and finally to Canada. An excerpt from her interview is as follows;

Interviewer : Aparna can you give us a background about your academics

Aparna: Doing mathematical analysis and solving puzzles interested me right from my school days. For my undergraduate studies, I took admission in Janki Devi Memorial College, Delhi University with Maths honors. During that period I received the highest marks in the subject. I was also honored with a medal for being “Most Talented math student of  batch 2011-2014”. 

After my under graduation, I did my Masters in Applied Mathematics (2015-2017) at the National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, India. Additionally, I also attended a lot of short-term courses during my post graduation. 

Following my masters, I did an internship at Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 2018, where I closely analyzed research in applied fields of mathematics. It proved to be the turning point of my life. I realized that there is much to learn in my chosen field and I needed to pursue further education outside India.

Interviewer : Tell us more about your career and your road to success

Aparna: I aspire to be an academician and researcher in a renowned academic institution. In pursuit of my dream I took up a PhD in Applied Mathematics at Concordia University, Canada. My field of study is ‘Dynamic System’. It is an immensely interesting field of research. In dynamic system  a single butterfly flapping its wings has the power to change the weather.

The Mathematics department at Concordia University is one of the biggest. It contains state of the art technologies and the people are brimming with unique ideas. Even the faculty itself are from well known universities like Harvard and Princeton University. The atmosphere encourages us to think out of the box and come up with new ideas.

Initially it was tough to adjust here as I am the lone girl and also the only Indian in the whole batch. In the beginning I used to feel a little out of place but slowly I was welcomed warmly by all. I hope to do well here and make my country proud.

Interviewer : Can you share about the struggles that you faced in your journey till now

Aparna: It was not at all easy to get admission in some foreign universities for PhD as the process is quite different from enrollment in other courses. For PhD it is important that you get a supervisor related to your work field. The struggle did not end there as the tuition fees were so high that it was not possible for my parents to pay them.

I decided to have patience and wait for a better opportunity and meanwhile I worked for Atharva  Academy as a content writer for mathematics and also worked as a data analyst for Gallific Arts. Finally by wait was over when I received an offer letter from Concordia University with full funded PhD with 3 scholarships. It was one of my happiest moments. Now I could focus solely on my academics and not worry about  the expenses. 

I used to stay with my parents at my grandparents' place in the village of Bilai in Bijnor district. I have fond memories of the beauty of the place, but as its common in most villages, people used to tell my parents that since I was a girl it was of no use to let me study. Thankfully my parents Mr Ajay Kumar who is a lawyer and my mother Mrs Subdhara Chauhan who is a homemaker never differentiated  between me and my brother Aakash. They gave me the best education that they can could afford.I studied till 8th grade in Saraswati Vidya Mandir Haldaur, Bijnor and later transferred to Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Dhampur. 

Because of good education I received from my school I was able to secure good marks and go after my dreams.

Interviewer : What is the impact of Vidya Bharati on your life?

Aparna: When you go to a foreign country, so far from your motherland, you represent you country and its people. The people in that country will construct the image of your motherland on the basis of your description.

My school Saraswati Vidya Mandir is known for teaching its students about Indian values and culture as a part of education. Today because my school I am able to tell everyone the importance of each and every festival of my country and able to express how beautiful my country is. They praise my school for installing such deep knowledge of our rich cultural heritage in all of us. It makes me proud to share with them the beauty and unity of our country.

I would like to thank Vidya Bharati for keeping our culture and values alive in our hearts and I feel proud to be a part of this community.

Interviewer : Any message that you would like to share with the others.

Aparna: I just wanted to say that it might be possible that  some time you feel that nothing is going well in your life. You can feel  unmotivated and helpless but what I learnt from my life experiences is that there is always a way out.Never lose hope. Patience is a key to success.

I’m a huge fan of Gulzar Sahib and I wanted to end with some beautiful lines written by him -

“Kuch uljhnae hain rahon mein , kuch kosish behisaab,Ise ka naam hai zindagi , Chalte rahiye Znaab”

Vidya Bharati Purv Chatra Parishad thanks Aparna for sharing her inspirational journey with the community and wish her all the best for her future.

If you have a similar experience to share, kindly email us to: info@vidyabharatialumni.org and we will get in touch with you.