Bhavna is from Dhule, a remote town in Maharashtra, and suffers from albinism, a condition where one has low vision and cannot see things beyond a certain distance. While this affects her daily life in many ways, with the support of her friends and family, she always tried to lead as normal a life as possible. Never willing to let her challenges limit or define her, Bhavna went on to obtain a Masters in Commerce and an MBA in Human Resource Management via correspondence.
The test, however, began when she was looking for a job. Her mobility was restricted so she began taking tuitions and was looking for better flexible work from home jobs but had no idea where to start. “I knew I was good at communications but not so good at Maths or Statistics. With my background, I was clueless about which industry I wanted to join or where to start.’’
Time and again, women have shown that when ambitions and dreams are coupled with determination and dedication, even physical challenges cannot stop them. Sometimes, the will to grow beyond circumstances is just what it takes to defeat our situation.
She chanced upon SHEROES on Facebook where she came across an interview they had done with Shilpa Shetty and wondered if the portal could help her too.
Through the SHEROES helpline, she got in touch with Monica Majithia, who helped her with invaluable advice, "With her skills and interests, I suggested she build on her human resource profile. I also encouraged her to go for some certification courses which are offered by well-known HR agencies. Meanwhile, there were also entry-level jobs or intern positions in the flex/work from home segment that she could apply to.”
Monica helped her work on her profile by highlighting the right education and key skills, as that was shared with employers and would directly affect her chances of bagging a job.
“What struck me about Bhavna was her willingness to reach out and go the extra mile. She was not satisfied with whatever options came her way or to remain limited by her condition. She had a hunger for more and a readiness to explore. To BE more. That is the best and possibly only skill we need. I was inspired by this,” reminisces Monica.
Women with ambition and big dreams often tend to face a lot of obstacles in accomplishing them. External obstacles such as societal pressures, familial circumstances or simply things not going one’s way can be dealt with; but the mindset to grow, explore and do what it takes has to be firmly in place.
Bhavna might not be clear about what exactly she wants, but she is not shying away from trying new things.
She now works as a trainer with UFaber remotely and continues to be a home tutor. She also wants to build up her skills by learning foreign languages and translation skills. "I don't have any specific plans for my future, but I'm open to learning something new and doing things that are new, interesting and challenging,” she says.
"My experience with the helpline team has been amazing. It's been very helpful and encouraging. Keep up the work, more power to SHEROES,” she smiles.
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