The Power of Passion

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The Power of Passion

Growing up in a Parsi community, we were raised as one big happy family, and being part of a dominantly male group, I was always trying to fit in through sports – mainly soccer! I have played since the age of 10, continuing even throughout my four years of college. Soccer has always been an important aspect of my life and I intend to play until my knees are weak. In my younger days, I remember making excuses to leave for classes at 9:00 am in the morning, and waking up before my alarm at 6:00 am on a rainy day just to get a few kicks before school started. Allowing passion to become your purpose might just turn it into a profession one day!

At the age of 13, my curiosity towards various cultures began increasing, realizing in grade 9 that – okay it is time for change! Thus I applied to various high schools in top academies in the United States. Though receiving admission from some, my decision had seemed rushed and impractical. I grew adamant in completing my undergraduate education outside of India after mulling over the situation for a year. My choice has always been going to the U.S, believing that they have the greatest education system. Being in a state-board college, I realized my dissatisfaction with the system and decided to make my jump! With endless support from family and friends to pursue my dreams of studying at an American University, and with little to no help from a counselor, I completed the entire application process myself and got accepted to Northeastern University!

One of the most valuable things I have learned throughout college is how to maintain an even study-play balance. Switching from an Indian state-board to the American education system was definitely a challenge; my IB/IGCSE/ISC classmates had it much easier, as it took me a semester to get familiarized with the system. But when I did, there was no stopping because I knew how hard I had worked to get there. Taking the advice my seniors had given, I extended myself to get involved in various communities. I was part of the Entrepreneurship and Leadership community, co-ed intramural soccer team, and even completed a study-abroad program in Barcelona. It was definitely a significant decision in my life! Once again, I had the chance to get out of my comfort zone — a 19-year-old Indian girl travelling to Barcelona not knowing a single soul apart from herself sounded rather fascinating to me.
Though I had a 5-year plan ahead of me, let’s just say “life happened”. Due to the ongoing pandemic, I had to return to India and adjust my plans accordingly. March 13th, 2020 is a day I remember as clear as yesterday, somberly packing four years of my college life overnight without the slightest clue if I could ever return as a student again. It took a few months to fill this gaping hole in my heart, but eventually, I decided to get back on track. It was a struggle being a 2020 international student graduate —sending my applications to over 50+ US companies for a job and getting rejected by almost all of them. I began losing motivation. However, being persistently determined to find a job, I came across AddedEducation on LinkedIn.

Mixing passion with business felt like I had found a job that best suits my personality. Working with other former student-athletes and like-minded people, I found a culture that I fit right into! Unfortunately, I was unaware of the sport route when applying for college and had chosen to focus solely on my academics. But now, through this successful platform, I am beyond grateful to play an important role in the journey of other student-athletes —waking up daily and helping them achieve their dreams even if I missed out on mine!