Stay focused and never allow negative opinions to become bigger than your dreams.
Richa belongs to Varanasi, where both her parents are teachers who've run a private school for years. As a child, she was drawn to art, dance, and creative expression, but her parents, being educators themselves, nurtured her academic side closely, and she grew into a bright, driven student. Teaching quietly lived in her environment long before it became her calling.
She completed her undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. in Statistics from Banaras Hindu University. Her initial goal was simply to earn a B.Ed. and become a college teacher. But she later realized that becoming a professor and earning a doctorate had been her father’s unfulfilled dream.
Determined to complete what he couldn’t, she pursued it—and along the way, his dream became her own passion and identity. Currently, she has been working as an Assistant Professor at Vishwakarma University, Pune, for the last three years.
Her path wasn't easy. People mocked her appearance and doubted she could become a professor. But her parents had taught her that a person’s worth lies in knowledge and character, not looks.
That belief carried her through the challenges of her Ph.D.—late nights, research setbacks, paper rejections, revisions, and moments of self-doubt. She kept going.
Her biggest lesson: it doesn't matter what people say behind your back. What matters is how strongly you believe in yourself, and how consistently you keep working toward your goals.
Her parents remain her greatest influence, not just as parents, but as her first teachers and mentors. Having parents who believed in her, unconditionally, made all the difference on the days she doubted herself most. Her father's unfulfilled dream gave her a reason to begin; her mother's constant encouragement gave her the confidence to finish.
For Richa, work-life balance isn't about giving equal time to everything every day. It's about knowing when to step back, recharge, and return to the things that bring her joy, art, dance, and creativity, especially when work feels overwhelming.
Looking ahead, she hopes to join a globally recognised institution where she can contribute meaningfully through teaching and research, while continuing to grow as both a scholar and a person her parents can be proud of.
Her message to anyone quietly doubting themselves: your beginning doesn't determine your destination. She didn't always know Statistics and academia would become her life's work, but with her parents' support, faith in herself, and steady effort, she found her way, and she believes the best part of her journey is still ahead.
This story was told by Dr. Richa Panchgaur and published with their permission by the What's Your Story editorial team.
