In 2015, Aishwarya Sheoran won the Miss Delhi title, but the crowning achievement of her modelling career came a year later, when she emerged as one of the finalists in Miss India 2016.

UPSC Success Story: The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is arguably the toughest recruitment exam in the country, demanding utmost dedication, hard-work and grit from aspirants who wish realise their dreams of becoming a civil servant. Clearing the UPSC CSE is not everyone’s cup of tea with only the best academic minds being able to crack the tough examination.

One such shining example is IFS Aishwarya Sheoran, a former Miss India finalist who quit a promising modelling career to achieve her dreaming of joining civil services.

Who is Aishwarya Sheoran?

Born and raised in Rajasthan, Aishwarya Sheoran is the daughter of an Indian Army officer, Colonel Ajay Kumar, Commanding Officer of the 9th Telangana NCC Battalion. Aishwarya was an academic prodigy since her formative years, and scored 97.5% in her Class 12 board exams at the Sanskriti School in Delhi.

After her schooling, Aishwarya Sheoran earned a Bachelor’s degree from Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and it was during her time in college that she developed a passion for modelling. Soon, she started pursuing modelling as a career and competed in high-profile beauty pageants, with her first success coming in 2014 when she was crowned the Miss Clean and Clear Fresh Face.

In 2015, Aishwarya Sheoran won the Miss Delhi title, but the crowning achievement of her modelling career came a year later, when she emerged as one of the finalists in Miss India 2016, the pageant eventually won by Roshmitha Harimurthy, who later represented India at the Miss Universe contest in Manila, Philippines.

From Miss India to UPSC

Emerging as one of the finalists in the Miss India pageant is a very big deal in the world of modelling and almost guarantees a lucrative career in show business. However, Aishwarya had other life and career goals in mind, she desired to become a civil servant and serve the country, because of the sense of duty and military ethos she inherited from her father.

In 2018, Aishwarya qualified for IIM Indore but chose not to join, instead devoted almost an entire year diligently preparing for UPSC CSE. Sheoran studied hard for 10 months, did not opt for coaching classes, relying on self-study instead, and her hard-work bore fruit as she aced the UPSC CSE in her first attempt, achieving an impressive All India Rank (AIR) of 93.

After clearing UPSC, Aishwarya Sheoran made another crucial call as she chose not to pick the IAS or IPS cadres, and instead opted for Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Currently, Aishwarya Sheoran is a senior officer in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), helping chart the course of nation’s foreign relations.