Prial
Aug 5, 2024
Undergraduate / College Essay on my journey and passion towards Health, Safety and Environment [2]
In the 3rd grade, after moving from Gurugram to Faridabad due to my parents' transfer, I found myself with three months off. During this break, I sometimes accompanied my mom to her institute, where she taught Fire & Safety to college students. One day, as I sat in the back of her class, I watched her enthusiastically explain the Fire Triangle. To my young mind, it seemed magical. As soon as she stepped out, I grabbed the marker, drew the triangle on the board, and started teaching about the Fire Triangle to the other students, mimicking her every word.
Until the 6th grade, I pursued my interests willingly and freely. But growing up in India, the societal pressure to become either an engineer or a doctor soon dominated my dreams. By the 10th grade, I excelled academically, following the path laid out for me and every other student my age, but I felt a growing disconnect from my true self.
In the 9th grade, the question gnawed at me: did I want a career chosen by others, a path made by others, or did I want to follow my passion? I explored various fields, from astronomy to architecture, yet nothing moved me deeply. Then, in the 11th grade, I decided to take a job at the National Institute of Fire and Safety (NIFS) alongside my mom, initially teaching Spoken English.
At NIFS, I discovered the NEBOSH exam, a prestigious qualification in the safety field. This seemed like a path worth pursuing for me. I studied diligently but failed my first attempt. Strangely, instead of feeling defeated, I was exhilarated by the content. This failure was my Eureka moment. Despite the failure, I qualified to teach EHS at NIFS, eventually founding Prial India - Safety Courses and Training.
My first training session at a national minting company was an eye-opener for me. While entering through the main entrance, I noticed a generic health and safety policy, which puzzled me into thinking of why such a huge industry has a non-tailored health and safety policy for its employees. While training the supervisors, I realized they were unaware of their basic rights as workers and lacked adequate safety equipment. These issues evoked and motivated me to push harder for real change.
Over the next 1.5 months, I conducted several trainings, but inquiries plummeted after Safety Week. It became clear that many companies saw safety training as mere compliance rather than a genuine concern. I was further moved after two devastating fire accidents in May, resulting in over 40 deaths, including 7 newborns. These tragedies initially blamed on heatwaves by the people around me, were actually due to inadequate safety measures after my research, such as a lack of NOCs, and insufficient emergency exits. The loss of those newborns, who could have flourished creating brighter futures for humankind, deeply affected me.
Cornell University, with its global recognition and esteemed professors like Dr. Nellie Brown, represents the perfect environment for me to grow and achieve my mission: transforming safety from being compliance into a culture worldwide. I am determined to foster a culture where safety is embedded in every company, industry, and institution, ensuring tragedies like those in May become a thing of the past.
In the 3rd grade, after moving from Gurugram to Faridabad due to my parents' transfer, I found myself with three months off. During this break, I sometimes accompanied my mom to her institute, where she taught Fire & Safety to college students. One day, as I sat in the back of her class, I watched her enthusiastically explain the Fire Triangle. To my young mind, it seemed magical. As soon as she stepped out, I grabbed the marker, drew the triangle on the board, and started teaching about the Fire Triangle to the other students, mimicking her every word.
Until the 6th grade, I pursued my interests willingly and freely. But growing up in India, the societal pressure to become either an engineer or a doctor soon dominated my dreams. By the 10th grade, I excelled academically, following the path laid out for me and every other student my age, but I felt a growing disconnect from my true self.
In the 9th grade, the question gnawed at me: did I want a career chosen by others, a path made by others, or did I want to follow my passion? I explored various fields, from astronomy to architecture, yet nothing moved me deeply. Then, in the 11th grade, I decided to take a job at the National Institute of Fire and Safety (NIFS) alongside my mom, initially teaching Spoken English.
At NIFS, I discovered the NEBOSH exam, a prestigious qualification in the safety field. This seemed like a path worth pursuing for me. I studied diligently but failed my first attempt. Strangely, instead of feeling defeated, I was exhilarated by the content. This failure was my Eureka moment. Despite the failure, I qualified to teach EHS at NIFS, eventually founding Prial India - Safety Courses and Training.
My first training session at a national minting company was an eye-opener for me. While entering through the main entrance, I noticed a generic health and safety policy, which puzzled me into thinking of why such a huge industry has a non-tailored health and safety policy for its employees. While training the supervisors, I realized they were unaware of their basic rights as workers and lacked adequate safety equipment. These issues evoked and motivated me to push harder for real change.
Over the next 1.5 months, I conducted several trainings, but inquiries plummeted after Safety Week. It became clear that many companies saw safety training as mere compliance rather than a genuine concern. I was further moved after two devastating fire accidents in May, resulting in over 40 deaths, including 7 newborns. These tragedies initially blamed on heatwaves by the people around me, were actually due to inadequate safety measures after my research, such as a lack of NOCs, and insufficient emergency exits. The loss of those newborns, who could have flourished creating brighter futures for humankind, deeply affected me.
Cornell University, with its global recognition and esteemed professors like Dr. Nellie Brown, represents the perfect environment for me to grow and achieve my mission: transforming safety from being compliance into a culture worldwide. I am determined to foster a culture where safety is embedded in every company, industry, and institution, ensuring tragedies like those in May become a thing of the past.