<p><span class="p-body">First-generation college student Sejal Tandon’s journey toward earning her <a href="https://www.sps.nyu.edu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-management-and-analytics.html">MS in Management and Analytics</a> at NYU SPS began in her hometown of Akbarpur, a city in the Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">“It was the kind of place where you grow up knowing your neighbors, the sound of the evenings, the way sunlight falls on the same street every day,” she recalls. Tandon’s parents created an environment of safety and warmth for their daughter, while harboring a dream that their daughter’s world could someday transcend their own.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">That dream led to her family’s pivotal move to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh’s state capital. “They uprooted their entire lives because they believed there might be doors waiting for me that I didn’t even know to look for yet,” Tandon says. In Lucknow, she enrolled in an international school, where she encountered new languages and perspectives. French became part of her daily vocabulary, and one word in particular <i>porte</i>, or “door” in English, carried special meaning during these formative years.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">“My father would point to the door and say, ‘This is <i>porte</i>.’ He said it every day for weeks,” reflects Tandon–a simple gesture that became a profound metaphor in her mind for the unwavering support her parents offered throughout her academic journey.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Tandon’s journey continued in Mumbai, where she pursued her undergraduate studies. The city’s fast pace and unrelenting energy pushed her to “become braver simply by living [there],” she shares. It was in Mumbai that she honed her ability to navigate complexity, trust her judgment, and turn uncertainty into curiosity.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">After earning her undergraduate degree, Tandon landed a job at JPMorgan Chase—a milestone that marked the culmination of years of perseverance. “I remember calling my parents. They didn’t shout or celebrate in big ways. They just went silent,” she remembers. Their silence spoke volumes, however–embodying their pride and satisfaction in the realization that the sacrifices they’d made for their daughters paid off.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Now at NYU SPS, Tandon is immersed in the world of data, strategy, and innovation. New York City is now her classroom and real-world learning laboratory. “I walk streets that once felt like stories from movies,” she reflects, “learning, expanding, and building a future that once felt almost too distant to imagine.”</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Tandon proudly acknowledges that this is a journey she could not have made without the love and sacrifice of her family. “I carry the girl from Akbarpur. I carry the young woman in Mumbai learning to stand strong. I carry my parents’ hope in every step.”</span></p>