It was a proud moment for me when I was selected for the Udayan Shalini Fellowship out of the 306 girls who had applied, following a round of selection.

My family and I are now very happy that I am still am a part of the fellowship programme, which has been a learning ground for me.

I have learnt to manage my time, maintain my health and well-being through meditation, yoga, and exercise.

On the professional side, I have learnt the importance of goal setting, goal achievement, assertiveness, managing workplace bias, creating resume, interviewing skills, communication skills, problem solving and conflict management, and the core values of Udayan Care – compassion, motivation, respect, competence and accountability, among others.

After I got Mr. Deepak Sharma, whom I now call uncle, as my mentor, it feel rather blessed. He has been the most inspiring person in my life. I learnt a lot from him and feel blessed to have him as a guide in my life. He guides me in every way possible and supports me in every kind of situation.

One of the most important that that the fellowship has done for me and the other shalinis has been to inspire us. They organise trips for us, get us to work as volunteers, interviewers, and they treat us like members of a family.

I have lots of fond memories of the fellowship. I spent three days at home at a camp and had a lot of fun learning so many things. Of course, we had lots of fun too – samosa party, photographs, mentor discussions with friends; every session was a memory worth remembering.

Neha
Udayan Shalini Fellowship