Persistence. There’s no mountain in the world that persistence can’t move, if you set your mind to it. And this woman knew it all along. 

This Humans of Bombay post about a then-young girl, who set her mind to become a pilot and then a lawyer, is the definition of persistence.  Despite hindrances- like weak financial background, unconventional job for a girl, language barrier and a dozen other things- she made sure to achieve her dreams and how.

Born in 1987, Anny Divya went on to become the world’s youngest woman commander to fly a Boeing 777. It all started when her teacher asked her to write 10 things she wanted from life, and Anny took it seriously. 

The first thing was to become a pilot & the second was to become a lawyer.

With the amount of passion Anny had, scoring a 100 out of 100 was not a big deal for Amy. So now she was eligible to apply for the courses, marks-wise.

However, passion is not all it takes to make it in this world. Anny and her family faced social and financial issues as well. But her family’s support was all-pervasive, which consequently inspired her to work even harder.

It was an unconventional field for a girl. It was expensive–but they used their savings, took loans & overcame it to send me to flight school. I worked harder–for them.

While Anny was taught to read and write English, English communication was still rare during her schooling. And when Anny joined flight school this became something that people teased her about. But Anny wasn’t the one to back down.

Instead of hiding, I learned from them & perfected my English. I was so happy to be there–that got me where I needed to go. I didn’t worry about the future–I just learned along the way & kept going.

This super power of Anny to keep hustling no matter how hard things get, made her a 19-year-old pilot. And she landed a job even before she got her license!

For her training she went to Spain. Again, being in a new city, and country for that matter, was a new challenge Anny was ready to face head on.

After my training in Spain, I became a first officer. It wasn’t easy–a new city with no set schedule & you go back to an empty house. But I kept taking each challenge in my stride–I knew this was the way of the world.

Now as her first dream was checked off her list, she didn’t stop but continued to pursue another ambition…becoming a lawyer.

She enrolled herself in LLB course in Bombay. She juggled both her job and her education.

I wanted to learn everything & never worried about chasing success. I’d attend classes whenever I was here. Even if my flight landed at 2am, I’d go to class at 6am! I’d study during my breaks on flight–I couldn’t be stopped!

A decade later, she became the youngest female commander to fly a Boeing 777 with the largest twin-jet engine in the world, paid off her loans, contributed to her siblings’ education.

Now with most things crossed off that list, I’m making a new one–because the best is always yet to come!

Her story is an inspiration and ode to every person out there juggling a zillion things in life with as many hindrances. But has a mind convinced to leave a mark in this world and to never stop doing so.

Read the complete post here.

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“I dreamt of becoming a pilot since I was young. My dad was in the army–we lived in Pathankot & then moved to Vijaywada. In school, I was taught to read & write in English–but spoken English was rare. In class 9, a teacher asked me to write 10 things I wanted from life & I took it seriously. The first thing was to become a pilot & the second was to become a lawyer. Someone told me that I had to get above 90% for that so I worked hard & got a 100 in everything. I was that passionate. But there was social & financial pressure on my parents. It was an unconventional field for a girl. It was expensive–but they used their savings, took loans & overcame it to send me to flight school. I worked harder–for them. Flight school wasn’t easy. People teased me when I spoke in English and how I spoke. But instead of hiding, I learned from them & perfected my English. I was so happy to be there–that got me where I needed to go. I didn’t worry about the future–I just learned along the way & kept going. Once I graduated, I immediately got a job & my license on the same day! In fact, I got my job before the license, which doesn’t happen. Before I knew it, I was a 19 year old pilot! After my training in Spain, I became a first officer. It wasn’t easy–a new city with no set schedule & you go back to an empty house. But I kept taking each challenge in my stride–I knew this was the way of the world. This somehow motivated me to cross out the next thing on my list–becoming a lawyer. At 19, I came back to Bombay & took an LLB course. I wanted to learn everything & never worried about chasing success. I’d attend classes whenever I was here. Even if my flight landed at 2am, I’d go to class at 6am! I’d study during my breaks on flight–I couldn’t be stopped! Now, a decade later after a lot of flights & fights, I became the youngest female commander to fly a Boeing 777 with the largest twin-jet engine in the world–it was a different ‘high’ all together! I was able to pay off my loans, contribute to my siblings’ education & travel the world–making my parents travel too! Now with most things crossed off that list, I’m making a new one–because the best is always yet to come!”

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You can follow Anny Divya on Instagram here.