Inspires Sihunta Green Field School students at TNR-Aarni University ‘Udaan’ career guidance event
Pallavi Sharma
Chamba
In an engaging and inspirational interaction, Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services (HAS) officer Swati Walia motivated students of Green Field School at Sihunta in Chamba district on Friday as part of the ‘Udaan’ career awareness and outreach programme, organised by The Newz Radar in association with Aarni University.
Addressing students from senior classes, Swati Walia shared her personal journey marked by resilience, discipline and perseverance, encouraging young minds to believe in long-term effort rather than the lure of instant success. Her interaction formed a key component of Udaan, a series of programmes aimed at career awareness, social motivation and community engagement across Himachal Pradesh.
Belonging to Kangra district, Swati Walia comes from a disciplined military background. Her father Captain Satinder Prakash Walia passed away in 2008. After this, her mother Sadhna Walia, a homemaker, raised seven daughters. Swati, the youngest among them, highlighted how all seven sisters are working professionals, calling her family a living example of women empowerment rooted in values and education.
Interacting with the students, she candidly spoke about the three-year academic gap following her father’s demise, the challenges of preparing for competitive examinations during Covid-19 and her battle with paralysis between 2022 and 2023. “Setbacks are not the end of the road. They are pauses meant to test your resolve,” she told the students, drawing sustained applause.
Swati Walia is a gold medallist from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, where she completed her BSc in Botany and Zoology. She later secured a scholarship for an integrated PhD programme at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, reflecting her strong research aptitude. Her journey in competitive examinations includes appearing for the UPSC-Mains in 2020, clearing the HAS in 2025 after three Mains and two interviews, and qualifying examinations conducted by the UPPSC, BPSC and HPPSC during 2024-25.
Beyond academics and administration, she also spoke about entrepreneurship, sharing her experience of launching a dhoop and incense stick startup in Mumbai in 2020, which continues to operate successfully. Students and teachers described the session as deeply motivating.
The Udaan initiative is aimed at bridging the gap between aspiration and opportunity, particularly in remote and semi-rural areas.
Through Udaan, The Newz Radar, Himachal Pradesh’s only English digital media house, aims to bring real-life role models closer to students. Aarni University too has been living up to its commitment of social outreach and educational empowerment across Himachal Pradesh.
