Everything is always working out for all of us
That belief carried Yashi Srivastava through her PhD with zero published papers, and it's the lens she now brings to everything she does.
From Varanasi, the city of temples, Yashi describes herself as a studious introvert with big dreams, someone who, in Class 10, wanted to find a way to predict earthquakes. The first child in a joint family, she grew up surrounded by people, cherished by everyone, and quietly learned early on that relationships can be complicated even when love stays simple.
Education was sacred at home. Her grandfather tutored her and her siblings each evening, while her mother, a teacher for much of Yashi's childhood, kept books flowing through the house, ones Yashi would eagerly grab and "grade" with her own red pen. Beyond academics, she stayed busy with NCC, Scouts & Guides, and school parades, and at home, she loved playing teacher to her younger siblings, dishing out advice as if their lives depended on her.
She pursued her B.Sc. in Statistics, Mathematics, and Physics from the University of Lucknow, followed by an M.Sc. in Statistics from Banaras Hindu University, before landing a role at Novartis Pharmaceuticals through campus placements.
But something still felt incomplete. After 2.5 years, she left her job to chase a PhD, spending a year volunteering at an NGO called Make a Difference along the way, teaching underprivileged kids on weekends before beginning her PhD in Decision Sciences at Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
Her toughest chapter came near the end of that PhD journey; her tenure was nearly over, and she had no published paper, a requirement to submit her thesis. Her manuscripts kept getting rejected.
What kept her steady wasn't outside validation, it was an unshakeable trust in the universe, noticing small signs like 11:11, and simply choosing gratitude anyway. When the revisions to her paper finally came together, it felt, in her words, like it wasn't even her doing it, like something bigger had stepped in.
"Her lesson: even quiet, uncertain days move you closer to where you're meant to be, if you keep believing. Her husband Sahil encouraged her to follow her heart despite the risk, while her mother and mother-in-law, both devoted to meditation, taught her to trust what simply feels right."
Today, as an Assistant Professor at MICA | The School of Ideas Ahmedabad, Yashi Srivastava holds onto a philosophy she refuses to compromise on: a career should be part of life, not something that consumes it.
Her biggest life lesson: we all eventually get what we want, it's only a matter of time. So why wait to be joyful? Spread love, be helpful, and give yourself the same understanding you try to give others.
From Varanasi, the city of temples, Yashi describes herself as a studious introvert with big dreams, someone who, in Class 10, wanted to find a way to predict earthquakes. The first child in a joint family, she grew up surrounded by people, cherished by everyone, and quietly learned early on that relationships can be complicated even when love stays simple.
Education was sacred at home. Her grandfather tutored her and her siblings each evening, while her mother, a teacher for much of Yashi's childhood, kept books flowing through the house, ones Yashi would eagerly grab and "grade" with her own red pen. Beyond academics, she stayed busy with NCC, Scouts & Guides, and school parades, and at home, she loved playing teacher to her younger siblings, dishing out advice as if their lives depended on her.
She pursued her B.Sc. in Statistics, Mathematics, and Physics from the University of Lucknow, followed by an M.Sc. in Statistics from Banaras Hindu University, before landing a role at Novartis Pharmaceuticals through campus placements.
But something still felt incomplete. After 2.5 years, she left her job to chase a PhD, spending a year volunteering at an NGO called Make a Difference along the way, teaching underprivileged kids on weekends before beginning her PhD in Decision Sciences at Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
Her toughest chapter came near the end of that PhD journey; her tenure was nearly over, and she had no published paper, a requirement to submit her thesis. Her manuscripts kept getting rejected.
What kept her steady wasn't outside validation, it was an unshakeable trust in the universe, noticing small signs like 11:11, and simply choosing gratitude anyway. When the revisions to her paper finally came together, it felt, in her words, like it wasn't even her doing it, like something bigger had stepped in.
"Her lesson: even quiet, uncertain days move you closer to where you're meant to be, if you keep believing. Her husband Sahil encouraged her to follow her heart despite the risk, while her mother and mother-in-law, both devoted to meditation, taught her to trust what simply feels right."
Today, as an Assistant Professor at MICA | The School of Ideas Ahmedabad, Yashi Srivastava holds onto a philosophy she refuses to compromise on: a career should be part of life, not something that consumes it.
Her biggest life lesson: we all eventually get what we want, it's only a matter of time. So why wait to be joyful? Spread love, be helpful, and give yourself the same understanding you try to give others.
This story was told by Yashi Srivastava and published with their permission by the What's Your Story editorial team.
