From an Air Force Dream to Sulzer: Hasika Prajapati’s Mechanical Engineering Journey

Some placement stories are about a plan going perfectly. Hasika Prajapati’s is about what you do when it is not. She comes from Kutch, Gujarat. She mentions that her family has supported her throughout. Through their support, she risks dreaming yet stays grounded. She took admission in B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering at Parul University. She got placed at Sulzer. Sulzer is a global engineering and manufacturing company.

But the most defining part of her journey happened before engineering ever entered the picture.

Since her early college days, Hasika’s dream was to join the Indian Air Force and serve the nation, a goal she pursued with genuine heart. For personal reasons, that path did not work out. It is the kind of setback that stops many people. Hasika chose to treat it not as the end of her dreams but as a change of direction, taking up a new challenge with the same enthusiasm.

My dream was to join the Air Force, but due to some circumstances, I chose a different path and continued working towards my career.
– Hasika Prajapati

That mindset, accepting change while continuing to move forward, became the defining quality of her journey, and the foundation of everything that followed.

Choosing mechanical engineering is not seen as a goal for most. But Hasika was clear with what she want to pursue eventually. She was drawn to it. She was drawn to this part of engineering because of her interest in learning about machines, systems and how they work. Wanting to learn about manufacturing, power generation, automation and design. She chose Parul University so that she can learn beyond textbooks. She gained practical knowledge too, where classroom learning was combined with hands-on laboratory work, technical workshops, industrial interaction, and personality development programmes. Not only through experiments, technical training and industrial visits, she was also gradually gaining skills and confidence to work in professional places.

She described her experience of living away from home. She felt it was tough for her. She joined university and decided to stay at the university hostel. In the beginning, it was tough for her.

She had to learn a new routine, without her family managing her routine, taking responsibilities, and balancing work with her personal life. Now when she looks back to the initial days, she feels they are her stepping stones.

She counts on this phase, considering it as one of the most important phases of her life. With this hostel experience, she gained confidence; she became responsible, disciplined and self-reliant. This shaped her personality, and she believes it prepared her for professional life.

Usually, there are many projects that make a work portfolio. But for Hasika, apart from her other projects, her final year project remains the major highlight. The final year project was ‘Solar Smart Benches’ for Parul University Campus. For this project, she researched well, studied the market, and found gaps. Then came up with an idea to design something sustainable and something that doesn’t harm the market. She planned to make solar-powered benches. They are not only meant for seating but also use renewable energy to serve everyday campus needs.

Working through the full engineering design process, from understanding the problem to development, implementation, and presentation, she and her teammates learned as much about collaboration and project management as about the technology itself. The project was selected for exhibition at ExpoTech, one of Parul University’s major technology exhibitions, where presenting her team’s innovation to faculty and industry professionals became a genuine confidence-builder and one of her best college experiences.

It is always said that practical learning teaches you more. This is what even Hasika believes now. She gained real knowledge from working on-site. In the final year, she took up an internship. At her internship, she observed how day-to-day tasks are done, how real engineers work. She observed what a workplace looks like. Through the internship, she could bridge the gap between theory and practical work. Gaining insights into how professional set up works, how collaborations happen and what industry standards actually demand.

Industrial visits reinforced it: a visit to Adani Port opened her eyes to the scale and precision of industrial logistics, while a tour of Fortuna Royal familiarised her with real manufacturing, production, and quality processes.

The visit to Adani Port was one of the most memorable experiences because of its huge industrial setup.
– Hasika Prajapati

Hasika’s route to Sulzer shows a smart, deliberate strategy. Before campus recruitment began, she chose to step out of her comfort zone and sit off-campus interviews, not because she expected offers, but to understand what recruiters look for. Those interviews brought no job, but she refused to see them as failures; she treated each as a learning opportunity, using every rejection to find and fix weak spots. With each interview she grew more confident and better prepared. By the time Sulzer visited the Parul University Placement Cell, she was ready. She sharpened her technical competencies and interview technique, cleared every stage of the process, and was selected.

Later, I applied to Sulzer through the Placement Cell, cleared the interview, and got selected.
– Hasika Prajapati

She is warm in her gratitude to the Placement Cell, which kept students informed of drives, criteria, and deadlines and acted as the bridge between students and recruiters. Her advice-in-action, that off-campus practice sharpens you for the opportunity that matters, is unpacked further in our guide to getting placed as an engineering fresher.

Hasika is honest that the technical interview was the most demanding stage. She prepared herself with theoretical knowledge like others. In the technical round, she understood one thing: memorized answers won’t work.

But applying it confidently under pressure, especially in practical scenarios needing analytical thinking rather than memorised answers, was a different skill. From her experience, she understood that technical knowledge is not everything. One should focus on communication, confidence, honesty, and the attitude that leaves an impression: your readiness to learn, absorb new things, ability to reason with logic and analysis. Being able to communicate clearly even when there is no exact answer.

Hasika made a conscious effort to grow outside academics too. She took part in drawing competitions at university festivals, volunteered at several events, and, most meaningfully, spent two years with the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

I participated in drawing competitions, volunteered during university events, and was a part of NCC for two years.
– Hasika Prajapati

NCC is special for her. She shared that it holds an important place in her journey. Through NCC also she gained discipline, punctuality, commitment, teamwork, and leadership skills. NCC also gave her confidence to work under pressure and stay calm. With all these experiences that she gained from NCC training, internships, project work and more, helped her reach the placement.

From what she learned from her journey, she shared that with students. Hasika asked her juniors to utilize all the resources for their own learning. Make most of what university offers. Be it academic or personal.

Maintain a strong academic foundation, she says, but do not stop there, take part in technical events, industrial visits, festivals, competitions, and volunteering, because these build the confidence, communication, and teamwork employers look for. Start placement preparation early, build knowledge gradually, and stay consistent.

Focus on academics, but also participate in extracurricular activities because they help in overall personality development.

Focus on academics, but also participate in extracurricular activities because they help in overall personality development.
– Hasika Prajapati

Above all, she says, treat every interview as a learning experience rather than something to fear. Her journey is a reminder that success is rarely a straight path, and that a redirected dream, pursued with determination, can lead somewhere remarkable.