Kripa Joy, 34 yrs

                                                                Worked at: Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Mumbai

After working in a corporate law firm, Kripa Joy felt the need to work for the society and contribute to its betterment. To pursue her dream in doing so, she opted for the difficult choice of the year-long rigorous programme at IIMA. Especially difficult was the decision to leaving her three-year-old daughter with her parents in Kerala so that she can commit herself completely to the academic.

"The schedule at IIMA is pretty hectic. It would be terrible as a mother to be present here but not be available to my daughter. Since she is not too young or too old, I decided to leave her with my parents," says the mother who has been toying with the idea of doing something which has social impact for a while now. "To do so, I wanted a broad-based set of skills," says Joy who says the course at IIMA will allow her to grow, introduce perspectives she did not have, take up challenges in thinking to improve her as a professional and prepare her for work in social sector.

Mieszko Pilecki, 28 yrs                                                        Worked at: Private firm, PolandAn alumnus of the SOAS, University of London, Mieszko Pilecki who has a Bachelor of Arts in Law and South Asian Study feels management education at the IIMA will add value to his legal knowledge and facilitate a holistic growth. The 28-yearold wants to work for India and Poland and aims to brush up his skills in order to do so during his year-long stint at the management institute."I would like to find a wider context for legal skills and other skills I require for my career," he says. Pilecki says his education at IIMA will enable efficiency - be it working with a company, collaborating with the government or a private firm. "I would like to divide my professional life between India and Poland. It could be through government services in both countries to work on cultural and economic relationship, promoting Poland trade in India, etc. I will take a decision once I have completed the course," he adds

Mamta Goswami, 32 yrs

                                                        Worked at: Doctor, Border Security Force

A doctor by profession, Mamata Goswami completed her MBBS from Government Medical College in Amritsar before joining the Border Security Force in 2010 as a doctor. Even as her career progressed, Goswami became pregnant. It was during this time that she started thinking about means of increasing childbirth through normal delivery, based on statistics she had studied. It is this wish to bring reforms that brought her to IIMA's one year programme Post Graduate Course in Management for Executive (PGPX).

"Statistics suggest that in normal circumstances, 80% childbirth should be through normal delivery and 20% through a caesarian section. The figure is reverse in Delhi. I started connecting with people working in this field and realised that while people are doing good work, there is lack of streamlined process and efforts are too isolated to make any impact," says the 32-yearold mother.

Mathaabe Mohkheti, 29 yrs

                                                         Worked at: Department of Rural Water Supply, Lesotho

With experience at Lesotho's Department of Rural Water Supply and a private company under her belt, Mathaabe Mohkheti enjoyed work but harboured the intention of studying further. "But I was unaware of the possible options until one day, I was given a brochure listing courses in India. Among all courses mentioned in the document, I found IIMA's PGPX course the best and took admission here," says Mohkheti who has received a scholarship for her course at IIMA.

The 29-year-old is expecting to take home experience and exposure in the management field while learning from her peers and professors. "After completing the course, I want to return to my country and take up a job in the banking sector that has always fascinated me," she says adding that her yearlong stay at the institute has already given her an opportunity to learn the city. Mohkheti says that while she likes the Amdavadi food.

Sunny Goel, 33 yrs

                                                               Worked at: Secretariat, Lok Sabha

One among the nonelected Secretariat staff at the Lok Sabha, Sunny Goel spent over five years in the lower house of our two-tier Parliament house. But that did not deter the 33-year-old from his decision to pursue higher education in management for which he left behind his work. During his tenure, Goel worked with Committee on Public Undertakings, in the Joint Parliamentary Committee and his latest assignment with the Standing Committee in External Affairs.

Quiz him about the reason for taking up management studies and Goel says, "I wanted to explore opportunities. I wanted to grow from a generalist to a professional in management with tools and technique required for decision making at the highest level and so I decided to take up the executive course," he said. "Just a month into the course and I experience a transformation in my way of thinking. Once I complete my course at IIMA, I would like to take up consulting as a career," he adds.