YIF Alum’s Odyssey from Engineer to Social Impact Leader
As Siddharth Premkumar prepares himself to join the University of Michigan for his MBA, he looks back on his journey as a Young India Fellow
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Ashoka alum Siddharth Premkumar (YIF’18) will be joining the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, in the coming days. Siddharth Premkumar lauds YIF for its crucial role in expanding his horizons and encouraging him to explore new avenues beyond his initial engineering background.
“YIF has undoubtedly been a tipping point in my life. I walked through the gates of Ashoka University as a young professional whose realm of possibility was limited to technology as just another engineer in my cohort. However, the exposure at Ashoka helped me to broaden my outlook. If you had mentioned during my engineering days that at some point I would be working in the fields of Chhattisgarh, implementing the Right To Education Act, I would have judged you and your suggestion and brushed both under the carpet for good reasons! But Ashoka gave me the courage to take the plunge and make that transition. Of course, this experimentation came with its share of failures. But the unwavering courage to try is still one I hope to hold close to my heart”, shares Siddharth.
Post YIF, Siddharth has worked across different industries. From helping kids dream about shooting for the stars and bringing inclusivity into their classrooms to supporting companies launch satellites into outer space, he worked as a social impact professional and a management consultant in the Aerospace and Defence sector.
When asked about his plans, he said, “I plan to start a new phase in my life, pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. I am looking forward to this new journey—one that started in the busy streets of Bangalore but moulded amidst the hazy skies of Sonepat, with the next destination reading – Ann Arbor.”
