Farmer’s Daughter Michelle Queenie D’Costa achieved the dream of her father, an agriculturist who wanted to see a Civil Servant in his house. Her daughter, an engineering graduate, achieved his dream but ended up with All India Rank 387th in the Civil Services Examination 2015 conducted by Union Public Service Commission. “I hope to get into the IAS. I do not mind serving in the Forest and other Civil Services streams,” confides Michelle Queenie D’Costa.
“My dad always inspired me to become an IAS officer and I did try my best to achieve that feat but ended up with 387th rank,” an elated Michelle Queenie D’Costa told.
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Family Background of Michelle Queenie D’Costa
Michelle Queenie D’Costa comes from Niddodi, a village in Neerude in Mangaluru taluk, 20 kilometres away from city. Her father, Lazarus D’ Costa is a farmer at Neerude near Moodbidri. Her mother Hancy Felcy D’Costa is a home-maker. Her father and mother togeteher grow areca nut and coconut on their five-acre land. Michelle Queenie D’Costa has one elder sister Nishol Rani D’Costa and a younger brother Queenson Honey D’Costa. Both brother and sister Nishol and Queenson are engineers and they both work in Bengaluru.
Her father is overjoyed by Michelle’s achievement and said, “I am really happy because my dream of seeing a Civil Servant in my house has seen light of the day.” He recalls that when he was working in Chennai, he used to meet a lot of bureaucrats in the line of his duty. “I witnessed their private as well public life very closely and always urged my children to follow them,” he adds.
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Educational Background
Michelle Queenie D’Costa completed her primary schooling in her village ie; studied till the seventh standard in the St. Francis Xavier Higher Primary School in Neerude and then continued her schooling at Little Flower Secondary School at Kinnigoli. She also did her pre-university course from Alva’s PU College and graduated from R.V. College of Engineering in Information Science in Bengaluru in 2011.
After her graduation got completed she started putting her efforts to crack the competitive exam so she took up coaching in Delhi. Since then Ms. Michelle D’Costa has involved herself in cracking the Civil Services Examination. Now she is ready to take any responsibility given by the government.
Michelle Queenie D’Costa says that joining the Civil Services has been in her mind since her schooldays. She spent a few months in New Delhi where she attended tutorials and prepared in General Studies and Kannada literature.
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Attempts
Michelle Queenie D’Costa had appeared for the Prelims twice earlier but she failed in her first two attempts because her preparation was not up to mark. The 2015 UPSC Civil Services Examination was her third attempt. On clearing the first hurdle of passing the 2015 Preliminary Exam, Michelle Queenie D’Costa was determined to cross the other major hurdle of clearing the Mains Exam and also get through the final round – personal interview. And she passed the Mains and got through the Interview in her third attempt.
Her family especially her father motivated her whenever Michelle Queenie D’Costa was in dilemma.
Preparation Strategy
Due to regular travelling from Bengaluru, Michelle Queenie D’Costa couldn’t follow a particular study pattern. But every day before she went to sleep, she studied whatever syllabus she had to cover for the day in her own pace. Michelle Queenie D’Costa feel understanding a subject is better than mugging it up. She used to collect the materials from various places and internet. She had to be updated with the current affairs and she did it in her own way like a marathon race.
Whenever in newspapers it was reported the good work done by a Civil Servant, her father Lazarus D’Costa made it a point to show such reports to his daughter Michelle Queenie D’Costa which prompted her to pursue the Civil Services Examination and realise her dream of serving society as a Civil Servant.
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Message for Aspirants
Determination, Commitment, Will Power, Patience and Grit are the keys to success. If you want to walk in this path to get success start at early age, decide your own goal and plan it very systematically. Never let the focus get off from your goal. Success will be yours eventually.
Michelle Queenie D’Costa feels that hard work, parental support and interest of the candidate in the subject play an important role in ensuring success. Michelle Queenie D’Costa says, “awareness about IAS and Civil Service is very low and therefore schools, colleges and other educational institutions should make effort to create more awareness about the elite and prestigious civil service examinations.”
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