On the 30th of September, Ms. Nithya Raghunath, a Career Counsellor under
Holistic Career Guidance, had a session with Sophia High School’s Grade 12
batch of 2026-27. She took the session to guide students towards the various
angles and strategies they can use to navigate their upcoming transition between
school and the workplace.
With the impactful slogan “One Mission. Many Minds” Ms. Raghunath elaborated
upon a 5-step roadmap towards having a clearer idea of the future.
Think->Explore->Navigate->Compare->Act
By being self-aware of their own opportunities and skill set, the students must
explore career paths. College applications must be then organised accordingly
with the respective student’s fit taken into account. The final step “Act” calls for
building an individual profile to highlight each student’s individuality and
knowledge. Ms. Raghunath then explained the slogan of the session “One
Mission. Many Minds” to mean that a mission can stay the same even when the
people, roles and routes change.
She gave the example of a Formula 1 team:
1. A skilled driver
2. An engineering team to build the car
3. An efficient pit crew
4. A management sector to handle finance and publicity
All these team members work together towards the same ultimate goal: to
perform at the highest level.
This well-devised metaphor taught the students that their eventual role does not
need to be set in stone and that their interests and their skill can collaborate to
form their career path. Thus, the goal of a student must not be to choose a
career, but to choose a mission to contribute to.
Ms. Raghunath then delved into the intricacies of choice that lie before a student
in 2026, talking about factors like job security, AI literacy, profiles, entrance
examinations and decision-making capacities. She also advised students on how
to choose and apply to colleges, maintaining that the fit of a college to a person
is dependent on numerous factors outside their prestige and fame. Depth in
research leads to a less vague path ahead.
Wrapping the session up, Ms. Nithya Raghunath gave the students an idea of
their next 5 steps:
Know Yourself-> Explore -> Shortlist -> Check -> Build
Ms. Raghunath even offered a free 15–30-minute Career Guidance Discovery
Call with her and shared material with the students that could offer them helpful
information on their plan of action.
Her practical and meaningful advice truly lit the way for the Grade 12 students
and effectively gave them a flowchart to follow in order to find their Mission.
- Kriti Samit, 12 A