Student Leader Interview - Samraan from SRM



man with backpack beside a books


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1. Tell us more about your role & responsibilities at your college?

Speaking of roles and responsibilities, it’s not just one designated post that I work at. SRM provides a hefty number of opportunities for an individual to grow and for someone who has been keen towards the leadership factor since he/she was a child, it’s a haven. Whilst being a Senior Member of the SRM Delegation, I have worked as an Outreach (Marketing and Media) Head for SRMMUN, one of Asia’s largest conferences where we managed a strength of around 1000 delegates from all over the country. 

Besides the same, I have chaired and delegated in around 60 MUN conferences to date and has been training a good number of younger generation enthusiastic students towards understanding policy and the importance of being a responsible and well-informed citizen. Some notable ones include being a Youth Delegate in a dialogue exchange with the UAE, China, South Korea, and the Czech Republic Ambassadors to India. 

Presiding over the Toastmasters club training almost 350 students in regard to public speaking has also been a major part of my responsibility. This all has led me to finally start my very own Publication – Caught by the Short Affairs (currently on all social media platforms). 

A Publication aimed towards helping the general public understand International Relations and Diplomacy, Business Analysis, Environment, and Sustainability. I also am a member of the Harvard Business Review Ascend Select, Corporate, and Marketing Specialist for various clubs and have interned in various reputed organizations and companies across the country.

2. How did you rise up to your position and how can a student aspiring the same, approach it?

Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is something I have taught every single aspiring kid who has just joined under my tutelage. Something that I’ve always valued and had always attained a 100% result, is not just a talented set of skills but Perseverance. Rising up to where I am now has been a journey embarked with struggles both in my personal and professional life. 

Starting my conferences and a newfound interest in International Affairs was something that happened around 8 years ago. Since then, I have fixed myself towards understanding the functioning and atmosphere of the United Nations, the organization, and its subsidiaries where I aspire to work one day. There have been a lot of professional struggles, career obstacles, disinterest in engineering creeping its way in but as I have always conveyed no matter how many times life kicks you down if you have the dedication, persistence, endurance, perseverance nothing can stop you.

3. What have been some of your biggest challenges and learnings from what you do?

Speaking of challenges as I said, it’s something that I’ve faced both in the personal and professional sphere. Personally, I haven’t had a pretty stable status until 2 years ago where I’ve settled down and with the support and the professional decisions getting along my way, I have pretty much learned that your personal life is in your hands and if you don’t handle the mental health and emotional factor of it, it may end up creeping its the way in hurting your productivity. As I’ve always advised, one of the biggest things you can also carry with yourself to the corporate world is, never to mix your personal and professional life. 

In my professional aspect, one of the biggest ones I’ve faced was to get done with my Engineering. It was an impulsive decision that I had taken as a child and succumbing to the parental expectation, I decided to get it done with. Thankfully, I have found a correspondence Diploma in International Affairs and Diplomacy midway which I am pursuing along with it. 

Besides having a hefty number of courses done and with the responsibilities I’ve held, I’ll land a job for a couple of years post which I plan to get my MBA done from a top B-school abroad. Focussing on the conference-based part of it, besides the fact that during my time there was a good amount of competition to rise to the top a couple of years ago, one of the renowned factors that always demotivates people is the internal matters of any organization. 

Academically and Non-academically I have learned one thing that is to persevere. Keep following your dreams and if the path gets tough. Be happy bout it, cause harder the victory, the sweeter it is.

4. What did you do in your current role that makes you feel really proud of yourself?

There are a couple of things that do make me satisfied but have just been the tip of the iceberg and would be something I’d continue to do for a pretty long time. To be taught as a child the importance of giving back to society has been a driving force behind some of my decisions. One of them has been the fact that I have had this opportunity to impart knowledge and to spread this wonderful concept of MUN.

Help the younger generation grow and publicly voice their opinion and ideas and to start realizing the importance of proper policy, international relations, and to be well-informed citizens of the country. The other has been to work towards the environment and its sustainability. When you finally come in a position of power, you have the ability to impact decisions and organizing campaigns, and working on improving the condition and increasing awareness of the environment has been a prime motive for me.

5. What's your message to encourage students to do internships and attend conferences?

To all the students, enthusiasts, and the upcoming batches, believe it yourself and your capability. Every single kid out there is talented and good at one or the other thing. Hone that inner desire and talent and always remember to impart perseverance in your life in order to achieve your dreams. It’s your age to grow, to learn, and to realize what kind of influence you want to have in the world and what type of work you could possibly do that would be a role model for the next generation to come. It needn’t be a popular stream or choice, but start working whole-heartedly and use this abundant time to make sure you have taught yourself well, that now it’s time to give back to the society. 

Aim for better opportunities, research regarding your field well, try contacting the people who are successful in your chosen field, and persevere. The rest of your life will automatically fall right in the track. I guess this is the advice I’d like to leave them with and also for them to contact me if they are willing to over social media handles if they want to understand the field, I currently work in. And All the Best for the journey.




Interviewed by - Shambhavi Gupta