Why Kshama chose to study food science with business
It seemed only natural for Kshama, whose parents work in the food sector, to aspire to follow in their footsteps. After leaving India at age five due to her parents' global jobs, Kshama lived in multiple countries, including Ukraine and the Philippines.
It was another big move, but Kshama was prepared to relocate to Reading as we provided a dynamic course that perfectly integrated her passion for food with a business perspective, which she believed was essential to succeed in the food industry. She got a taste of life at Reading through our open day - from seeing our beautiful campus and meeting academics to visiting our cutting-edge facilities like the Pilot Plant. She hasn't looked back since.
"I had never seen a course (at the time) that combined both food and business until I found The University of Reading. By taking this course you can shift focus to other aspects of the food industry, such as the business side. I believe it's a very valuable skill to have."
Placement opportunity
Kshama gained real-world experience as part of a placement with Pladis, a global confectionery and snack foods company –, during her second year of university. She learned of the job opportunity from her department - academics at Reading frequently share placement opportunities with students. These can be internships during the summer or year-long positions, some of which are exclusive to Reading students.
Rather than a full year in the industry, Kshama opted to do a summer placement with Pladis. She applied through her department and was offered the job. Then, she continued working part-time with them while studying.
"In the summer I worked there as an intern, but I was fortunate enough to get an extension on my contract. While working part-time for Pladis, I finished my undergraduate degree.
Studying and working at the same time greatly improved my time management and organisational skills. I learned to delegate my attention to different tasks through this experience and became more flexible and agile as a person."
Kshama’s next steps
As with her placement, the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences also shared graduate opportunities with Kshama and her classmates. With the support of her tutor, Kshama applied and was accepted to a job in the quality department at the global company Lactalis Nestle.
"The university was contacted by the company. I got an email from my lecturers advertising the job, I applied, and fortunately, I got it.”
Kshama will be working as a quality analyst, a career that requires strong analytical skills, data handling skills, the ability to work independently, and a great deal of business knowledge, all of which she has acquired through her undergraduate and graduate education.
"I am very passionate about creating new products, so I could see myself working in that area in the future as well."
As such, Kshama will be remaining in the UK a little while longer in order to pursue her exciting new career.
