“I wanted to stop being dependent on my maternal uncle. I was desperate for an opportunity”, – Garima
Garima was born into a humble family in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Her parents were struggling to find a livelihood, and Garima moved to her maternal uncle’s place at the age of five. Garima was conscious that her uncle had three children of his own, so she did not demand even the simplest things growing up. She did not have a single holiday growing up. While in college, Garima started working on research projects/internships to support her basic needs and reduce the burden on her uncle. The constant pursuit of a career meant she always carried a serious expression.
Garima applied to the YWI initiative with trepidation, post her graduation. Alongside picking up technical and business skills, she was pleasantly surprised to see YWI peers from across the country reach out to her. She ended up making some very good friends from the program.
When Garima called up her uncle to share the news of her placement in BlackRock, her uncle googled “BlackRock” and realised it was the largest investment management firm in the world. No one from her family knew about the financial services industry.
Garima recently went for a holiday to Daman with her new “best friends” from the YWI initiative. For the first time in her life, she loosened up and relaxed. She is enjoying being financially independent and being able to do things she wants to do. Garima is much more confident of achieving her dreams.