Neha Tikiya Bhattad

CST 2004, Masters of Science in Engineering in Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA.

Currently a homemaker.

Previously: Worked as Technology Analyst – Barclays Capital, New York, USA.

My favorite UMIT Memory is, “The days before and after we organized the college cultural festival Arcane Illusions’03. In the beginning it was the anxiety of making something from scratch, but it soon became the satisfaction of watching a dream come true.”

I started my first year concentrating on academics and mainly trying to figure out why I would ever need to construct the Isometric view of any machine in my life (Technical Drawing 101)?!

My experience of gaining first hand knowledge from lectures, assignments and exams has helped me both in my further academic pursuits and in my professional career. Accessibility to professors encouraged students to ask questions and comprehend subject matter in a timely manner. Also, till this day, I am glad that my professors, mainly Mrs. Rajni and Mrs. Sharmila, pushed me take leadership roles; I guess they saw something that I failed to see in myself. I entered the UMIT student council as a class representative and in the following years was elected to lead the council as the General Secretary.

As a representative of UMIT, I stood in the elections held at the University level and was invited to be a part of the SNDT University Student Council as Cultural Secretary. As a result, I got to interact with heads of various departments, students from other colleges and even co-organized the University cultural festival ‘Yuva Mahotsav’. It was a proud moment to see UMIT win the Literary events trophy as well as the Overall Championship trophy when competing with the best of SNDT University.

During those years, ITW, as it was then called, saw a number of changes in terms of management, new infrastructure and even a new name, UMIT. Blessed with one of the best Student Councils, we spent day and night planning for our annual cultural festival - Arcane Illusions. Hard work from numerous volunteers and the council members allowed us to surmount many obstacles and take the festival a notch higher.

My initial decision to choose UMIT over other schools was primarily based on its proximity to home. But after having learnt so much from this experience, I realize that UMIT was not a compromise, but a place where I was happy to be.

SNDT being an autonomous university enjoys the freedom of independence but also faces a unique mix of challenges. We had to constantly defy the notion that it was a ‘home-science’ college and make people aware that a reputed engineering college existed amongst the ‘home-science’ walls of SNDT.

On the bright side, our curriculum did not face the stagnancy that many big Universities do; change was relatively quick and easier to bring in. Regular internal exams with emphasis on mid-semester tests enforced a culture of regular study. This was in stark contrast to students at Mumbai University who essentially had the final exam to prepare for.

Another thing that many people ask me about is: How was it studying in an all-Women’s university? While my decision was primarily based on being able to sleep that extra half an hour in the morning, many of my fellow students found the absence of male students very liberating and this translated in better participation in class as well as extra-curricular activities.

As in any professional degree, you spend a lot of time with your classmates, studying, working on projects and participating in group activities. These are people who have seen you through four strenuous years of engineering: exams, vivas, writing journals, studying till the wee hours of the morning, etc, and it’s no surprise that these people become your lifelong friends, confidantes and a network of UMIT’ites that will help you both at a personal and a professional level.

Also, I guess I was lucky that I got involved in so many activities in college. This gave me a chance to build a rapport with not only students but also teachers and staff. Even today when I go back to college to meet teachers and staff, it is amazing to see that they remember you and are happy to see you progress and steer through the various challenges of life.

But in the end what I am most thankful for are the numerous leadership opportunities, which helped groom my personality and build a confidence that changed my outlook towards life.

I can only say that I have received so much from UMIT that I can think of nothing better to give than getting a chance to return the favor. It is important for all alumnae to participate in mentorship programs and help the association in every way we can. What Neha Vijan and everyone in the Alumnae association is doing is exemplary; its easy to be a part of an association, but the challenge is to build the association from scratch and to get everyone to commit their time and energy to the cause.