A student named Justin Fernandez has created history by getting the highest package ever during IIM Nagpur placements this year. The 27-year-old is a native of Kollam in Kerala and has seen so much in life before achieving this milestone.
Coming from a financially poor background, Justin proved that no challenges are big if we have the courage to do something with passion in life. His struggle started from school days when his family was not able to give him money for education.
These situations didn’t stop him from working hard and he was focused on his goals from early years of life. He kept his cool which helped him to grab a job in Hyderabad-based Value Labs which offered him with the annual pay package of Rs 19 lakh.
His job profile and the pay, both are highest so far if we compare with the offers all IIM-Nagpur students have got to date.
His family was traditional in tailoring business before industrialization made them shut operations.
“My grandfather was a tailor and naturally, my father was drawn into the same business. But, readymade garments spelt doom for our family and several of us. There wasn’t enough work and my father started finding it difficult to earn enough for our basic needs,”
he said in an interview.
The condition of the family was so bad that they were dependent depend on government subsidies for having their meals. “Ration through PDS was our main source of food,” he added. Before joining IIM-N, Justin worked at a software company for two years. He wanted to get a seat in IIM Kozhikode but he did not succeed in that. The increasing age made him get into IIM Nagpur after the second attempt.
Justin did his BTech degree from Government College of Engineering at Trivandrum and his expensed were covered with the help of scholarships.
