KOTTAYAM: Rehna Shajahan was devastated when half a mark cost her an MCom seat at the Jamia Milia Islamia. However, she did not lose heart. The 25-year-old enrolled for two postgraduate courses online -- a master’s in social work and a diploma in guidance and counselling.
She went on to prepare for the common admission test in management studies. As she cracked the CAT exam, Rehna was the only Malayali in her batch to get admission to the Jamia Millia Islamia for an MBA programme. And now, her zeal for study has earned her the world record for the maximum number of online certificates secured in a day -- a whopping 81.
A resident of Illickal in Kottayam district, Rehna says her sister Nehla, whom she fondly calls ‘itha’, inspired her. Nehla got a lucrative job after pursuing her master’s in operational research from the London School of Economics and was always the studious one. “But I was determined to overcome the tag of an average student,” Rehna says.
When her sister got admission in Lady Sriram College, New Delhi, Rehna too wanted to try her luck in getting into a central university. She missed by a whisker and the rest is history. While pursuing the two post-graduate degrees simultaneously, she worked with an NGO, ‘Women’s Manifesto’, based in New Delhi that worked for women’s empowerment.
“When I cracked the CAT exam, I realised I can excel in studies. We need to try rather than just dream. I was keen on enhancing my repertoire by pursuing certification courses,” she says.
The previous world record for maximum online certificates received in one day was 75. She had recently quit her cushy job as a management professional in Dubai to attend to her father PM Shajahan, who has had a transplant surgery. For Rehna, her family comprising father, mother CM Rafiath, husband Ebrahim Riyaz, who is an IT engineer, and her sister is her priority. For that is the support system that gives her the courage and the inspiration to reach for the stars.