Prior to my advent into D.A.V., Gill Nagar, all I knew was that it was synonymous with a holistic development of the students. We had seen glimpses of the prowess of D.A.Vians in several cultural and sports events, apart from the regular academic success achieved by them. But when I entered D.A.V, I realized that it not only developed me academically, but taught me ways to overcome issues and to plan for whatever situations I would face. The teachers there had always been a constant source of support to me throughout my schooling in D.A.V and after that too. More than teachers, they were our friends and guided as our north star in all situations. The whole environment was conducive not only for studies, but for over-all development. Probably one thing that distinguishes D.A.V from others is the fact that they as an institution are ready to change and adapt themselves with time and align themselves in such a way that the students are always benefitted at any cost, be it by keeping sports festival or regular assessments. If asked what would be the main thing that D.A.V has helped me through my undergraduate career, it is the belief that D.A.V instills in its pupils that success is multivariate, has no specific definition and very much achievable by everyone.

As I begin to reminisce about my school days and start to pen my thoughts, Dr. Seuss quote lingers in my head - “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” While it has been more than a decade since I passed out of D.A.V Gill Nagar, looking back at those formative years; I come to realize how the values D.A.V imparted in me had a profound effect on my career. I have had many firsts at D.A.V – my first article in a magazine (Darpan), my first election for Assistant School Pupil Leader, and many more. A school article may seem inconsequential in the real world, but it does pave the way for bigger things in life. The article that day did make me confident of my writing abilities, which further enabled me to start a blog in my first year of college (www.ramthilakceo.com). I have held on to that habit of writing ever since and this ability to express myself confidently through words has allowed me to have a multi-faceted career. I currently work in the area of Applied Data Science helping organizations unlock the true “value” of data using artificial intelligence algorithms. Data Science was unheard of during my school days and it was far from being a career choice. So, if you’re a student now at DAV, my two cents will be what Steve Jobs said in his Stanford Commencement Address – “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. Therefore, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” Another aspect about D.A.V that helped me in my career was how they gave “equal” importance to all subjects you would learn, unlike some schools that gave undue importance to “cut-off” subjects. The reason I mention this is because day-in & day-out, I see so many qualified engineers unable to communicate effectively. They are great individual contributors but struggle to work well in a team – which is an understated skill set in the corporate world. Soft skills like communication, collaboration and teamwork are best learnt early in your life and whatever extra-curricular I had at D.A.V did help me chisel my soft skills. I would like to finish by saying that just three words “Trust the process”. Therefore, all you need to do to trust the selfless teachers who always go an extra mile to do the best for you.

I Capt. Noor Ahmed am from 1999-2001 batch and now an AGM in a Multibillion Dollar MNC Head Quartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. At present I am based out of Mumbai. I lead and support teams in more than 100 countries. At the age of 21 I started drawing a 6 figure salary, at age of 25, became a Master Mariner, at 26, was appointed as external examiner for Madras university and Vels university, and at the age of 29, commanded My first ship and earned the title Captain, by 30, had set my foot or rather laid my eyes on more than 30 countries. Business Visit of course. All my Passports collectively appear thicker than an encyclopedia. Obviously, these are the cool facts to make someone lift eyebrows and expand pupil. But this does not define what I am. It is the impact that I leave in my society with my contribution. It is not what is gained but what I give back. The foundation of structured principle in my life is established through Maata, Pita, Guru, Deivam. It’s no surprise fact that School plays a major role in building the nation by shaping future of students as stated by Bharat Ratna Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. When I shared my first achievement of a six-figure salary to my school principal the very next thing she asked me was how much of it is going to the society? Although it pinched me these are the values I absorbed from my school. In my different stages of life, I have been motivated by my school and learnt how to lead a useful life. My relationship with DAV gill nagar started in 1999 and I am from the very first batch of the school. Our then school Principal Smt. Vasantha Balasubramaniyam always believed firmly in disciplining the students. One often takes the road and makes way in the direction already lead by successful people. This is where my school differed. My school shattered all stereotyping mindset and taught me how to not break rules but break boundaries to scope in more. I had a very rare score card as I was simply Jack of all trades but master of none. In simple words my school gripped my hand and channelised my focus and potential. My hand was gripped firmly all the way until I set off in the right trajectory. With the hand grip that I felt all along and the push (Chalaang in hindi) I got from that hand the momentum of which is still making acceleration. The benefit of a holistic growth that I gained from my school and teachers is what has made me into what I am today. As an Alumni I would like to tell my juniors in school, ‘The Fathoms of fear is far more gruesome than reality itself’. Losing fear at the right stage is the best way of upbringing your skillset.