UPSC 10th rank holder from Odisha shares her success story with ETV Bharat

Sanjita Mohapatra secured the second rank in the Odisha Civil Services Examination-2018 but it was not her goal as she aspired to become a collector right from childhood. A mechanical engineering graduate, she quit her job after five years and started preparing for UPSC. She shares her story of hard work and perseverance to crack UPSC exams and secure the tenth rank.

Bhubaneswar (Rourkela): As the UPSC-2019 results were announced on Tuesday, Sanjita Mohapatra of Rourkela city of Odisha was able to secure the 10th rank in the prestigious examination. A total of 829 candidates cracked the examination and Sanjita was among the two Odias who secured their spots on top 10.

In an interview with ETV Bharat, Sanjita spoke of the hard work and her success story. She said that to crack UPSC one has to motivate herself/himself. She said "If you ever feel demotivated or feel like giving up, think of all the reasons why you chose this profession. Also, talk to your family and they will help you in getting a better perspective on life.”

The CET, Bhubaneswar alumnus said that it was her childhood dream to become an IAS officer. She said when people used to ask her parents what their child would be when she grows up, they would then instantly say she would become a Collector. So it was very much there since childhood to become an IAS officer.

On her success, Sanjita said her school education and the support she received from her family members, husband, in-laws, friends, and mentors were crucial. On her preparations, She said, "What you study is more important than how much time you study in a day. I used to prepare my schedule every week and study accordingly."

Sanjita had secured the second rank in the Odisha Civil Services Examination-2018. However, she continued her study to crack UPSC. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering, she worked in the New Plate Mill of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). After working for almost five years, she quit the job and later got married. However, that didn’t distract her from achieving her goal.

Read: UPSC Civil Services results 2019: Vishakha Yadav, daughter of ASI secures 6th All India Rank