Embodying a force of perseverance
SAR100 2.0 gave me the golden opportunity to represent myself and my country on a global platform, where I could collaborate with women engineers with unique stories and challenges.
She is the Assistant General Manager at GRIDCO, India, where she often works with independent power producers involved in power trading. Beyond exposure to cutting-edge technologies and new software, the program helped Pragnya sharpen her leadership style, public speaking and presentation skills, team-building abilities, and report writing techniques.
Though it was hectic to manage our work along with demanding classes and assignments, I have emerged from the program as a more technically sound professional. The course touched upon all the different aspects of power systems and was very exhaustive in terms of design and syllabus.
Pragnya’s participation in the program wasn’t as straightforward as one might expect. Originally selected for SAR100 1.0 (which ran in 2023-2024), she was unable to participate, owing to health issues. But a fighter at heart, Pragnya was nominated once again for SAR100 2.0, which she completed with flying colors.
I felt disheartened when I first lost the chance to participate in the SAR100 cohort in 2023. But I am so glad to have been a part of the second cohort; this program has helped me build a newer, stronger, resilient version of myself. My family can already see a beautiful change in my outlook and the way I present myself with more confidence and positivity.
For Pragnya, the most unique opportunity was that of cross-country interaction and collaboration. Talking to women professionals from the 7 SAR countries, drawing inspiration from one another, learning about their life stories and the country-specific technologies, best practices and challenges has not only increased Pragnya’s knowledge, but also emboldened her spirit. The training course has created a network of women professionals, which is often lacking for mid-senior professionals in South Asia. Pan-South Asian networks created by SARIC have often become platforms for knowledge-sharing, encouraging collaboration, offering mentorship and expressing solidarity in times of national difficulties.