4th Cross, K R C Road Doddagubbi Main Road, Visthar Bengaluru

RIYA RUSTAGI (CLASS OF 2008)

THE STORY OF THE GIRL CONSIDERED AS THE ‘CASE STUDY’ OF COMMITS!

I am a product created, groomed, and polished by Commits. Every aspect of my life in Commits has a story. I came to Commits thinking I wanted to become a reporter, but thanks to my assignments, I realised I was made for marketing.
I did not have friends initially. I had literally fought at home to be able to come to Bangalore on my own and my parents had told me I’d have to look after myself; my father did not even speak to me for eight months.

Sometimes I used to ask myself where I was heading — I was not performing well at college and I had lost my family support too. I remember my first presentation, I was quiet, I could not speak, and I was shaking. I got a zero for that presentation, but, somehow, I had faith I would do well at some point in my life. I decided my only option was to work hard.

My bad days ended when I began to feel motivated, my discussions with my professors gave me a boost, and I slowly headed towards my goal. I started making friends too. And I guess reading the Economic Times regularly also had a role to play in shaping me up! I planned to enter the corporate world in marketing and the class presentation on “The Retail Boom” changed my life. I kept reading about the retail industry day and night — I had to know everything about it — and the day came when I obtained an internship with Pantaloon Retail India after clearing four rounds of interviews. Everyone told me they take only MBAs, but I thought why not an MA? From that time onwards I developed my confidence. I bagged my first job as Head-Brand & Marketing in Bangalore. I called the shots in office, and I had people working for me. I have travelled on business to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Chennai, and Ooty and I was treated like a queen.

The Commits experience has been the best experience of my life; this where I learnt a lot about meeting deadlines and managing stress, skills that are proving to be very helpful at work now. Thanks to the confidence Commits has given me, my parents have also started believing in me and they let me pursue my career the way I want to. I’m thankful that I did not join any B-school. I’m thankful to Commits for making me what I am today.