The Rank Foundation’s very own 2023 Time to Shine leader, Bhabishya Paudel, reflects on her year of incredible experiences in her role as Brand & Communications Assistant, as part of the Time to Shine leadership programme.
As my Time to Shine journey comes to an end, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Rank Foundation for giving me this incredible opportunity. The journey has been a rollercoaster of nervousness and excitement, but it was all worthwhile.
This is my third and final blog. If you’d like to read my first and second blogs the links are below.
Blog 1 – Time to Shine Leader and her journey
Blog 2 – Bhabishya’s Time to Shine journey
How it started
I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was end of January, clouds were hovering over the sky making it a cold and freezing afternoon. I arrived for the interview and Caroline – Deputy Chief Executive, Sonia- Assistant Director of Operations and Louise- Comms Consultant were waiting in a nice open-plan kitchen area of the office. I said ‘hello’ and I could hear my voice shaking.
I believe the key to success in an interview is showing your true colours. In other words, just be yourself. I kept telling myself ‘I can do this’ because I really wanted to work and what is more thrilling than working in charity like The Rank Foundation?
My confidence was low and I didn’t believe in myself, but Rank saw something shine inside me. I now know this little spark was there all along. It was just hidden as time went by.
The Rank Foundation hired me as a Brand and Comms Assistant under the Time to Shine leadership programme. This experience has given me a great insight into the Rank Foundation’s work, Rank’s Network, and their support. It has helped me enormously to build my confidence and my career.
During the programmes, I attended Action Learning Sets, which have been instrumental in my personal development. Action Learning Sets are peer to peer learning experiences. We listen to our peers and ask them with open questions, which will help them think about and tackle any issues they may have.
What I’ve achieved
As a part of my role, I handled an artwork competition from beginning to its completion, which was an excellent learning experience for me.
Responding to a call for artists, the Network submitted some fantastic artwork, which made it very difficult to judge. It also made me realise the level of engagement from Rank’s Network. The winning artworks are now proudly displayed in Rank’s coworking in London.
I also made a video for the coworking space, which was a success on Rank’s social media channels. The list goes on, I was involved in several other tasks and projects, but these are the projects I am particularly proud of.
The Rank Foundation’s annual conference was a nerve-wracking experience for me, as all the Time to Shine leaders had to present a showcase in front of 350 people from Rank’s Network. I wrote and read a poem as part of my showcase, it was a fantastic feeling, and I felt a sense of achievement. This made me realise that I want to continue writing poetry!
What’s next?
It feels a bit surreal now, looking back from the time I started to where I am now.
This programme and opportunity have opened many doors for me. I am confident that this working in the social sector is a career path I want to pursue.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Rank Foundation for acting as a stepping stone in my career and helping me to achieve my personal development goals.
